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Beautiful palms! Tracy, I think my palm is the same as yours, although it was sourced from floribunda as P. minor. I actually have the same plant in a different part of my yard that was sold to me about a year prior to that as P. flynii. What I think is uniquely beautiful about the species is the ridges of the top portion of the leaf also have a beautiful white/silvery scaling running along the pleat. I was in Hawaii a month ago and what I thought was interesting is that the Pritchardia’s were growing here generally look much lusher and robust then most of the ones on the islands. They seem perfectly happy in our climate, combined that with the fact that we apparently baby them to no end.

Ha-ha, I have failed with plenty of species !! However, Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) ambositrae is a winner for me,... possibly my fastest growing palm. It is still dark here just now, but I will post images and info later today. Stay tuned.

Another year has passed since an update. Doesn’t look too different but it definitely takes up more room in all directions. Got to step back for pics. here it is…. -dale

I'm working with a student to understand the genetics of Ravenea in the Comoros and what it tells us about conservation interventions. We need to know the generation time of Ravenea hildebrandtii for our analyses - in other words: how long from seedling to first flowering? Can anyone advise? I'm interested in any and all figures - estimates are much better than nothing too! We'll work with what we can get. THANK YOU!

A few more Jubaea chilensis coconuts. These coconuts are sold from Chile to RPS Germany. They're also sold in China. My friend hopes to close a deal with the United Arab Emirates for giant Jubaea chilensis palm trees. I'll keep you informed about this in the future. This is the world of palm trees, friends.

Not too much to look at for some but this Bentinkia caught my eye this early morning as the landscape lighting was still on illuminating. Bummer the Blood Leaf looks terrible at the base of the Bismarck behind. I just hacked it back. -dale

Simply Juania Australis

Heyerospathe barfordiSyagrus picrophylla Dictyosperma conjugatum var albumlytocarum weddlianum All four varieties are absolutely gorgeous species to grow in any garden.

A lovely border palm, perfect for a nice small hedge or just planted out as nice clump on a corner in the garden. So why not plant a nice border in the garden, a nice group of five planted as a border. They don’t look much now but give them a few years and the impact will become clear planted out in this manner. They even takes bit of sun down to deep shade. Perfect little landscaping palm that’s predictable.

Yes I have a hybrid palm silver lady catching my eye today.

My Bismarkia caught my eye today this morning

Chrysalidocarpus leucomallus after a leaf drop

We need more Pritchardia up here in the better microclimates of Northern CA too! I’ve had five species of Pritchardia for a few years and they come out of winter looking just as good as they do in the summer.

Juania Australis is much tougher than people make out. Dr Kevin Spence has a specimen in his garden in Leicestershire in central England and it has survived 40C / 104F back in July 2022. There was probably a night that did not drop below about 27C / 80F as well. So the occasional 40C temperatures with 27C nighttime minimums are not really an issue, at least not here in the UK. As for winter temperatures, he wraps his up a bit as it is still fairly smallish, but it never gets damaged. I believe the biggish specimen in Portchester just inland from Portsmouth has taken a number of -5C and -6C nights back in January 2021 and December 2022 with no issues. So temperatures between 40C and -5C are not really an issue for this species, based on observations here in the UK. I suspect summer droughts and exceptionally strong sunshine may be the main issues. If the roots dry out too much and the palm does not get adequate irrigation, it will likely be prone to issues. This will be exacerbated in proper dry summer climates or semi-arid climates. These areas get far stronger sunshine too, which may be an issue in the Med region with very little cloud cover compared to the native range and when combined with the dryness, this may be the main driver for specimens dying. A number of them died in San Francisco I believe and that does not really have extreme temperatures. The summers are actually pretty cool. However it does have pretty strong sunshine intensity / UV and can suffer from pretty extensive droughts. So this is what I think is the main issue. Generally speaking, Juania prefers mild temperate conditions with fairly generous rainfall.

These Hyophorbe verschaffeltii.

This Pseudophoenix sargentii

I purchased 2 seedlings from Floribunda in July 2014, and transferred them to 1-gal pots. They were planted out in November 2016. They were, conveniently, male and female plants. I potted up some early seeds from the female in December 2023, but no germination. Recently, I potted up more ripe-looking seeds, have one sprout so far.

after 2 years these are growing various rates. There are minimal hurricane damage aside a few bent leaflets on older leaves. Today the largest is showing some nice leaf symmetry and an attractive blue color in the early morning with the sun to my back. If you want them to look blue, put the sun at your back. The back scattered light is more blue as it has not passed through the chlorophyll.

I suggest that if you want seeds, you come to Chile. You should come to Chile and then board the plane to Robinson Crusoe Island (Juán Fernandez). I believe there are seeds available in March or April.

I have seen photos of Juanias grown in Ireland and San Francisco, nowhere else outside of its island habitat. It has the reputation of being the most difficult palm to grow in the world. Congrats on getting your seeds to germinate.

I previously saw coquitos for sale by the 100g in markets that sold dates (dáteles).

Here in a Mediterranean climate, seems like 9-10 years. Although I have a friend near the coast have one begin flowering at 6, which is really fast!

Picked Up the last of Kerriodoxa (just over 100) and also 100 fresh Heterospathe sphaerocarpa (H. delicatula) Seeds .25 each.

Don't I know it!

Mr @happypalms is upside down...its his little joke, referring to Tasmania as Siberia, which is probably fair enough on an Australian scale of temperatures, but maybe a slight exaggeration! Is there anything that Darold hasn't had success with?!?

That's great news, thanks for keeping us in the loop!

I can’t help now Bill but I might know in possibly 10 to 15 years time, just planted the other day. Time will tell. @palmtreesforpleasure is the man you want for this one he sent me some seeds.

@palmtreesforpleasure any idea Colin? @Bill Baker (Kew) I can’t help directly sorry other than to say seedling are quite robust even in a cool climate. 3 years from seed and just today I potted a couple into 140mm pots. I’m guessing because they are quite a small palm maybe 10-15 years? Ravenea glauca (Isalo form) was around 15 years from seedling size to flowering for me for reference.

We got plenty of them @happypalms.

You are gifted seems all seeds you plant grow

Have you ever seen or heard of Roxanniae in cultivation?

If I had any seeds, I would donate them. This palm tree is from an island called Robinson Crusoe in Chile. The locals are very strict, and the Chilean government is even more so. The park ranger gave me some seeds, but he told me he couldn't help me any more because it was illegal. If I could get them later, it would be a fortune, friends. I hope these seeds turn up somewhere.

I think with heat nearly any species can survive freak events like that if they aren’t repeated and if kept moist. Here we had 47C/117F back in 2009 and many Ceroxylon and some Lepidorrhachis and Hedyscepe survived although I know Juania is another level. Id love to give Juania a go one day but would really love for some to get down to Tassie. @Jonathan need to try to get some of these!

Of course, my friend, in Europe they're being displayed as trophies. In Spain, England, Ireland, and some other countries, these palm trees, having more seeds, will become more widespread.

If I had a rare palm with develloping seeds, I would try to protect them with a bag or chicken wire etc... I wanted to harvest the fruits of muy Bactris gasipaes, but no chance... and the fruits are to high to protect them.

Today, I collected seed from several Sabal minor in Emerald Isle, N.C. This is a rare opportunity to buy authentic N.C. palm seeds. Currently, I have a limited supply as many seeds in the local area have not fully ripened yet. I will have more seeds available towards late October/early November. I am asking $15 for 20 seeds, and this price includes shipping in a bubble mailer within the U.S. If you would like more than 20 seeds, let me know. I accept Apple Pay and PayPal. Payment via PayPal is an additional $1 (total cost = $16) due to transaction fees imposed by PayPal. Thanks for looking! October 7, 2025

October 2025 near Royal lane in NE Dallas

Try the other two you will be surprised, the Wallichia though does need room to grow not one for a small garden, what it lacks in height it makes up for in width! Richard

Any of the New Caledonia palms are a must have in your collection! Not just macrocarpa or hookeri.

🌱

They tell a warm day in Tasmania is rare! How is Siberia now in spring, been getting lovely 35 degree days, perfect for germinating rare palms!

I don't think you'll get away from yellow tips in Texas unless its in full shade. Back in Oregon, ones that were planted in full sun, especially parking strips always had a lot of yellow on them.

They need more water. Infrequent deep watering is best but during hot dry spells 2 times a week is recommended. They need the soil to be moist but not soggy. Put a layer of mulch around the base to trap moisture then take it from there. The burned tips are almost unavoidable in the Texas heat. Trachies grow and survive in Texas but prefer cooler wet climates for best look.

That is a beauty ! I think SoCal needs way more Pritchardia🙂. Harry

I just have the more common Hilibrandi that I brought home from Maui years ago . It grows very well here . The only trouble I had from it is a bit of brown edges on the newly opened fronds after winter , but that stopped a year or so ago. It has been in the ground about 25 years , planted close to the house as a seedling . I was told , back then , they are a bit cold sensitive and I thought the placement would offer protection but I don’t think it needed it . I never fertilized or fussed over it , just lots of water . Harry I had to trim it on the path side of the trunk because it was right in the way . That stopped earlier this year . The lowest frond on the path side is now well over 6’ up ( my height!) . The trunk is curved at the base , pushing its way out into open area. This was last year , it has really picked up speed in the last few years , very slow the first 5 years. A great palm for southern California , even inland . I don’t get frost here where it is planted and seems to cruise through heat waves. Harry

I was just noticing how bowl shaped the new leaves open on this Pritchardia flynnii. I absolutely love the look especially with the color of the abaxial leaf.

If given adequate irrigation and the more the better, it’s surprising how well palms tolerate the heat, create humidity and they tolerate a lot higher temperatures than they normally would in habitat.

Couple of nice variegated rhapis pups recently taken and have tucked themselves in growing well.

Still no sign of flowers on mine acquired as Pritchardia flynnii, but it remains a very attractive palm