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Here are some detail shots I took today.

One lone container dypsis robusta what am I doing wrong. I just can’t seem to get it going strong, more water less water, full sun shade, or whatever it is iam not doing it right. Any suggestions?

Yellow Latania

Chamaerops humilis cerifera

Nice to meet you! Good to hear they're doing well for you

Monostachya looks cool, hopefully it does well. I had to look it up, had never heard of it. No clue if it's gettable in NZ! A. micrantha is a stunning palm. I bought 20 seeds a couple of months ago but nothing has happened yet unfortunately. There's a stunning plant in the botanical gardens in Christchurch so it must be pretty cold hardy. It snowed there today!

Turns out if I write a post then insert a pic it deletes all the text when I posted it.... I just wrote a reply talking about how chilly it is now, but at least NZ still looks quite tropical! This is Punakaiki today at about 42*S before dropping to about - 1C tonight. We definitely have our challenges with climate, but there are plenty of cool temperate and tropical highland plants that do well here, as long as we can get them!

Another victim to cool weather, Areca warburgiana. No harm in trying i say!

Try a bit of a soil wetting agent, detergent mixed in with some water even. Seaweed extract as soil conditioner and plant tonic (vitamin b) I reckon the soil might be a bit hydrophobic perhaps. But do try a soil wetting agent. Other than that leave the hose on for two hours a day if the drainage is sufficient.

Perhaps they just don’t match up in timing, I know I have 3 female plants, but they are ranging from 7 feet to near 14 feet in height. Also they are planted in rows not in a clump but that shouldn’t matter I think!

You got me on the micrantha, not even I have one in my collection yet ! Nice palms!

Just the tip of the Joey iceberg, with over 1000 of them you soon learn a trick or two with them!

It does have a nice heel if you look closer behind the stem. I will go with your suggestion and plant it asap, at my rate next week in my climate 🤣 The soil mix is a heavy river sand based mix, my high iron water might be a culprit in this case, but I have never had any issues before with my water. Argh growing palms it never ends, I also like to purchase 2 or more of any variety in my collection, having more you can tell if it’s just one palm playing up, just o e single individual it’s hard to tell if grower mistakes or just climatic conditions giving the palm a hard time. Thanks for the tip!

Possibly, but it’s the second winter season here. Iam not that impressed with the soil mix it came in. Richard

A nice sallaca, variegated lanonia dasyantha, dypsis Pembana all looking good in the garden.

It’s just a hybrid either way ☝️

Great pics. That’s enough to show it doesn’t match any single Archontophoenix sp. I’d be confident it’s A cunninghamiana x A alexandrae (or A tuckeri, A maxima or A myolensis less likely) or reverse.

The big Chrysalidocarpus species are notoriously tricky at that size Richard. I think they need a unique combination of warmth, great drainage and also good soil nutrition. I’d be tempted to bare root it and have a look what’s going on under soil level. I can see it’s developed a good size heel already. It may be that the growth point is too far under soil level and its promotes rot. I’d also be tempted to put it directly in the ground in Spring after raising its level a bit. I’ve had them respond well when allowed to spread their roots. A friend and former Palmtalk poster gave me a C malcomberi that was languishing in a heated greenhouse for years. I put it outside in a sunny spot in the fridge down here and it’s starting to look good, even during winter.

Same with my glaucifolia female plant.

Well maybe the Winter is stressing it? Harry

Howdyall: I'm perusing the price lists of various palm sellers and note the large number of Pinanga species listed. I also note that many are from tropical appearing areas. I now have P. javana and P. coronata, both doing well so far. Anyone have any other thoughts as to other species that at least have a fighting chance of not turning into one-season compost? Thanks . . . dave

Hey all, I thought I would dredge up this ancient thread to see what has been learned in all these years. I often see some really neat species available, but I am afraid to try them in a Mediterranean climate. So,without a doubt, P. javana, phillipinensis and coronata grow well here in the right spot. The wataniana I had did not make it, nor did the Floribunda offering of phillpinensis “compact”. Are there any other suggestions for temperate tolerating members of this genus?

After 2 relatively mild winter in a row the jubaea seems much happier. No visible winter damage last year and strong healthy growth with the frond size steadily increasing. After the January ‘24 freeze that years fronds were smaller than the previous year. Luckily it’s on its way to out growing that years damage and stunted growth. 🙏

Off the top of my head: Caryota obtusa, tribear, rhopalostylis sapida, ceroxylon, verschaffeltia splendida, mealybug, roystonea, ravenea juliettae, Dypsis prestoniana, a hyophorbe….

Love the Moorei here is mine over in Alvin it’s been in the ground for a year in relatively deep shade. Will miss it when I move to Florida lol 🥲

lol I was looking for the pots! I wish i could find a Micrantha locally, such cool palms

A few from west of Austin: Brahea decumbens, still green: Trithrinax campestris: Chamadorea radicalis: Sabal minor (Warren ,Arkansas): Brahea moorei: Various Sabal uresana: Chamaerops humilis argentea:Serenoa repens

Dypsis decaryi soaking up the afternoon sun. And a nice bunch of Arenga engleri seeds!

Bright dappled light is about the max that they want, full blazing sunlight you would get a nice yellow one I would think. The more humidity the more sun certain palms will take. A little midday sun would be fine but as for powering a dozen solar panel sunlight I don’t think it would it be too happy.

Some are totally gone. I know that but I am hoping the ones I attached make it. It’s such a pain transplanting them this big. Everything around it gets destroyed. The few I attached look totally pale. I don’t even see green in the middle. I am going to untie them next week. Can they recover still if the spear is solid but it’s totally pale or do I need green fronds to expect a recovery?

It will take a while this time of year. This year , in particular , has been a very hot July. Keep the watering and by Fall you should see some improvement. As soon as night time temps drop a bit. Harry

As juveniles they appear to be a little more robust looking. But as germinated seedlings they are pretty hard to tell apart, perakensis are a little more skinneri looking as seedlings. But if you were to mix them up they would just look like a bunch of joeys to the untrained eye. I haven’t seen many advanced magnifica but from what I have seen there appears to be slight differences, more robust looking. There is a the silver metallic blue colour about them, and the ones in Singapore gardens are some of the finest I’ve seen. All in all yes there is a slight difference in magnifica to all the other varieties. I have only seen one lanceolata Johannesteijsmannia and advanced one that was a true specimen to see. Definitely a lot thinner leaves on them. Hers a few Altifrons plants in the collection and garden about 5 years old the ones in the ground, and the seedlings about 12 months old. And they love water!

A nice garden in Kaikoura, about 2 hours north of Christchurch, taken on holiday recently. Is the second pic a standard Butia odorata, looked a but different to me?

As juveniles they appear to be a little more robust looking. But as germinated seedlings they are pretty hard to tell apart, perakensis are a little more skinneri looking as seedlings. But if you were to mix them up they would just look like a bunch of joeys to the untrained eye. I haven’t seen many advanced magnifica but from what I have seen there appears to be slight differences, more robust looking.

An update at the end of July, 2026.

A nice new taitungensis flush!

I have quite a lot of peroffskyana in my garden, this lot would be only be a quarter of what I have. Originally 300 seeds were sown with about 200 germinated, sold a few and planted another 100 in the garden with about 70 making the race. With cultivation you get a much higher survival rate. They even germinate just falling near the mother plant, one beautiful Australian native plant. They are native to my area so no wonder they grow well in the garden!

Here's a javana that has really grown well, with a few rings of trunk. The leaf burn is from the dry Santa Ana conditions of a few weeks back:

More to write down. Tyrone

Great list there Daryl. More for me to try out. P caesia is awesome. Best regards Tyrone

Thanks, Daryl!

PL: Coronatas are easier than falling off a log to grow, here in so-cal, if you have shade I've got Javanas, etc., and will order more in, and will see The final frontier! This is voyage of the Star Ship, Pinanga! TO grow where they ain't been growed before . . . [cue to music]

Dave, the javana will appreciate partial day sun, or better yet, filtered sun. It'll just look prettier. Good irrigation as well, even to the point of soggy. I think we're too arid in SoCal to plunk these down in the middle of the yard exposed to all the harsh elements. My 2 cents..

Pinanga dicksonii has been a flawless grow for me and quicker than coronata. I've got P adangensis going through winter as 2 leafers in the tunnel house at the moment. P javana are just sprouts for me at the moment so can't say yet how they go. P scortechinii is meant to be good too, but, mine were a no germination. I'm going to keep a look out for the others mentioned in this thread. P coronata is unstoppable for me. When I first joined the local palm society, at the first meeting I went too, one of the older members almost straight away said to me "don't bother with Hydriastele and Pinangas- they don't grow here" Well the Pinanga bit I've proved wrong. Still working on the Hydriastele bit. Had a wendlandianna last for two years. Just too marginal. Maybe the location was wrong. Also I doubt any Pinanga will take actual frost on the leaves. You've got to protect them from that, and hot sun. In my area they suit a dappled light situation that takes the sting out of the summer sun, but lets the winter sun in to warm everything up. Direct hot 40C sun will destroy a Pinanga leaf. Best regards Tyrone

Thanks to all of you who replied. And, a big recitation of the Sacred Word . . . .

P. coronoata seems to. I've got about three in the ground, and they took the cool of winter well. They just seem to need shade and plenty of water. Javana i've had a short while, the test will be this coming winter.

polymorpha and gracilis would be less heat demanding than coronata. cheers Richard

Dave, So far, P. javana is my favorite. As noted, coronata does well & phillipinensis is doing okay. I haven't really committed a spot yet to the latter, so it's been in a pot a couple years running.

Gee, everyone, hasn't anyone tried to grow pinangas? In so cal?