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I started planting tiny Rhopalostylis seedlings (bauri and sapida) many years ago. Was worth the wait. Here are some of them.

There is a an undocumented population of Braheas located just 40 miles south of Douglas, Arizona near the town of Esqueda, Sonora. These palms seem to be a variation of the Brahea Calcarea but with a taller trunk and fuller crown. I would also like to mention that these specimens of Brahea are very likely to be more hardy than Brahea Armata considering they are growing in elevations of 4000 or more where winters are extremely more cold than that of the Brahea Armata range. They palms are located in a ranch named Rancho Los Baños - Tierra Chamahua EcoAdventures which appears to have recently closed and has virtually no public access. There are dozens of pictures of the palms in the TripAdvisor page of the ranch online. I thought yall would enjoy knowing of these groves as they might have the potential of being the MOST hardy Brahea of all the genus. Getting seeds from these plants would be amazing but the location is very remote and a known area of high cartel activity.

I spotted these Parajubeas near our hotel in The Presidio. Beautiful!! Mine in Dana Point is struggling. Enjoy IMG_8662.mov

For a complete collection of photos with IDs, please click here Here are some photos I've taken over the last few days in San Diego, CA! Borassus madagascariensis Jubaea chilensis Chambeyronia hookeri and Ptychococcus lepidotus Coccothrinax macroglossa Dictyosperma album Oraniopsis appendiculata Ptychosperma elegans Syagrus amara Caryota gigas

A couple days ago we took photos of some of our palms catching up on some last minute growing while the early fall weather is still warm. We started in the back yard facing south and overlooking the Isabelle Canal. We've been blessed by a lack of hurricanes and tropical storms compared the the past few years so what wasn't killed by the likes of Ian has had a chance to recover. Allagoptera caudescens Dictyosperma album Livistona jenkinsiana Livistona drudei Kerridoxa elegans Satakentia liukiuensis Chrysaladocarpus leptocheilos Philodendron Pink Princess Chamaedorea sp Moving west toward our Garden Lot View looking east toward Back Yard Jungle Cocos nucifera Dwarf Red Spicata Twins Sabal causiarium by @sonoranfans after Ian Sabal palmetto variegata Sabal grethereae Chrysaladocarpus decaryi Leucothrinax morrisii Sabal minor Chipola Dwarf Livistona muellerii Coccothrinax sp Borassus flabellifer Syagrus kellyana Pritchardia sp Livistona saribus Pritchardia vuylslekeana

I keep forgetting that the name was changed back to Veillonia from Cyphophoenix…..old habits. Planted out from a 5 gallon back in mid 2017. Been a rather slow grower, but seems to be picking up speed lately. Takes forever for the leaf sheath abscission to occur but it’s worth the wait. Tim

Spent yesterday planting a few LHI palms down here in the sub-subtropics: H belmoreana ×3, Hedyscepe x 4, Lepidorrachis x 8. A few H forsteriana to come later. Weather was perfect for planting, still, overcast, humid and mild - my only regret is that I'm a bit sore this morning!

OK, sorry for the delay. Here are some Parajubaea palms in my neighborhood. Based on their massive size I assume that they are P. torrallyi, rather than P. cocoides. The middle image palm has started to flower. The last image palm is more than three feet in diameter. This garden is somewhat a mystery, just two palms species and some agave plants. ( The fan palms are Chamaerops.) It is possible that these palms were sourced from Flora Grubb Nursery. T

Just pulled off a leaf base this morning and noticed the first ring!! Tree is about 16-17ft overall. Zone 10b. Was bought as a Floribunda 1 gallon around 2019. Does anyone in South FL have a Redneck with trunk. The true C. lastellianus seems pretty rare here...all you see are C. leptocheilos

After spotting this palm being advertised on Facebook group “Palm Nutters”, I contacted the vendor (Cairns) on behalf of Colin Wilson who wanted it for Wollongong botanical garden, NSW. Paul Latzias and Michael Smith stepped up to inspect the palm last weekend, and were joined by Arden Dearden to salvage her this afternoon. Massive thanks to Paul, Michael, Arden, Digby (vendor), and of course Colin.

Last night the old leaf on this Rhopalostylis came off and I couldn't help noticing the spathe and spadix this morning. The spathe must have popped open and dropped overnight.

A flash of red in my shade garden

This plant is about 23 years old .

More palms and plants from Garden Lot Livistona mariae Bismarackia nobilis, smaller of two surviving Bizzie's West End of Garden Lot looking South Livistona decora Livistona sp Areca catechu Dwarf; left is Pritchardia sp; right is Dictyosperma Albus Coccothrinax sp by Garden Shed Blue green Agave Sabal palmetto 'Lisa' #1 Sabal palmetto 'Lisa' #2 Sabal palmetto 'Mocksville' Hemithrinax ekmaniana Sabal minor x2: Left is typical S. minor; right was sold as seeds of what Seller in Savannah, GA, called 'Savanna Dwarf'. Is there such a thing? I don't know but it is certainly different. Seller disappeared into cyberspace about 15 years ago. Coccothrinax proctorii Dutchman's Pipe Coccothrinax sp - very large Chrysaladocarpus lutescens 'Fused Leaf' Plumeria w/ pink flowers

Ok, I see it every day, but wasn’t sure what species it was. I used to live in Middle Tennessee (USA), and my folks were in Gainesville, Florida. I kept lots of potted palm there, underneath a Live Oak tree, in the irrigation zone. So they were neglected, but most of them didn’t die. I started a bunch of seeds from RPS in the mid-late-2000s and took them to Gainesville when they got a little size. Eliminated the need for a greenhouse in TN, since just about everything I was growing had some cold-hardiness. Mom decided to plant this Butia probably a little over 10 years ago, but the tag was lost. So it was just a guess what it was. I thought it could have been the rare Butia capitata, since I had a couple of them from RPS seeds. Or maybe B. catarinensis. It was definitely not any of the dwarf species. Fast forward to 2020, I moved in with them to help them out with the house. Well, I was walking past it a few days ago and something caught my eye…a spathe! A very DARK spathe! I sped up just a little and swatted petioles aside to check closely. Sure enough, it was WOOLY! Not only that, there were 2 of them. Well, that pretty much eliminates all the other species that I thought it could have been. So after searching high and low over the past couple of years for a decent-sized Butia eriospatha, and only finding small ones and seeds, I have a mature one in my front yard! Can’t wait to start crossing it next year. I’m glad it decided to push out its first inflorescences in October, so I wouldn’t be tempted to pollinate them, haha!

The leaves can be big and heavy. Here’s one of my baueri.

Another one of my all time favorites. Although in saying that, this particular Dypsis Carlsmithii has been an extremely slow grower. Started out from 8" pot and planted around 12 years now.

Yesterday I managed to muster up the fortitude to go for a short walk on part of the property and see how the drought affected things, looks like the little Areca stilt palm died along with six or seven others out right but other things look pretty amazingly well considering what they’ve been through.

I've been nursing this underwatered tree back to health. I just had to share. Santa Barbara, CA

Saw this Crysalidocarpus onilahensis ‘weeping form’ at Floribunda a few months back. Stopped me, and everyone else, in our tracks. Tim

Sunrise on a pair of Chrysalidocarpus was captivating this morning. The Chrysalidocarpus onilahensis weepy form in the foreground and taller Chrysalidocarpus pembanus behind it.

I didn’t know I could grow Cyrtostachys renda but I guess I can. 😀

Well, well, well, first flowering for my Lemurophoenix. A few weak prior attempts but, finally. Planted as a 3 gallon back mid 2008 from Bo Lundkvist stock. That seventeen years has gone by like a rocket. Tim

Fresh crownshafts and growth rings on Chrysalidocarpus lanceolatus. Love the colours on the thing, and the fact it’s still alive down here!

Dypsis plumosa flowering.

Once the Hedyscepe starts to trunk they speed up a fair bit.

A beautiful palm the onilihanses, majestic and always standing proud in the garden. A nice flower has formed and with any luck a few seeds will set, it has produced viable seeds in the past so a good bit of water and I might get lucky.

Regular form: Smaller form with red fruit: Butia eriospatha I grew from RPS seed. It had no damage in most recent single digit freeze… has taken damage previously but never bad and think fruiting heavily can cause this. The one below is supposedly Butia x Jubaea. Only the huge size relative to my other Butias makes me believe this may be true

Red leaf on this Archontophoenix "Teracarpa" (it's a hybrid from Jungle Music Nursery).

Rhopalostylus Sapida taking off vertically. I also noticed a flower spathe emerging. Growing in Dana Point, CA.

It’s still here after several years. First noticed it when I lived down there in 2019/2020 and it’s doing well. This is the northernmost bizzie I have ever came across and the only one I have seen this far north. This is in the west side of Bluffton, by the university. Near the Jasper County line. First photo was taken a few days ago, second photo was several years ago.

Fall Update #5 - Merry Madagascar and The Split Bed Because of @RiverCityRichard's mention of lemurs, this update continues with some of the Madagascar palms in the same area as the official Chrysalidocarpus corner and then transitions to a bed that was originally designed to mimic the continental divide. The design hasn't worked for the best, so I've been transitioning this bed into what I jokingly called the OnlyFans bed - with a laugh from @Merlyn. The former desert bed now contains only fan palms, hence the play on words. The other side of the bed contains palms and cycads that typically want more moisture to grow optimally. The map shows the locations of the featured beds: Beccariophoenix fenestralis: A palm that was bought on impulse during the pandemic that has turned into a real show-stopper. The lemurs are going to love this after it gets some trunk height. The photo makes it look smaller than it is when you stand next to it. Even though the teaser photo above was only a few months ago, it has grown noticeably since then. Beccariophoenix alfredii: This palm was having a tough time after the hurricanes and has been wobbly in the planting hole since then. I staked it a little more than a month ago, and it is growing much better now. You can probably make out the yellow twine used to secure it to the stakes. The Concrete Bed - Featuring Chrysalidocarpus decaryi and Aloe: Proof that some plants can grow in just about anything, our final Madagascar palms for the day are shown growing in a concrete slag pile, with aloes providing the backdrop. The pH in the bed is close to 9, and its elevated nature keeps it pretty dry. If you're looking for a palm that is drought-tolerant and handles alkaline soil, the Triangle Palm is it. The Former Continental Divide Split - Desert Side - Conversion to Fan Palms: Not every idea works to perfection. With the death of all of my Washingtonia filifera in this area, I decided to begin moving toward a different concept. This area is now dominated on the desert/lava rock side by very cold-tolerant fan palms. Sabal causiarum, Sabal mexicana, Sabal mauritiiformis, Sabal maritima, Leucothrinax morrisii, Livistona benthamii, Livistona australis, Hyphaene coriacea, Brahea brandegeei, Saribus rotundifolius, and Chamaerops humilis are all in this bed at this point. A few of those may eventually be moved. Livistona muelleri was doing poorly and has been moved to a recovery area in a pot. The Chamaerops humilis isn't doing all that great and may perish at some point. Livistona rigida perished in this bed. Brahea brandegeei may be moved to the nearby bed with Brahea edulis. Recently, I decided that since the Washingtonia filifera that I planted tend to suffer transplant shock, I would try a few direct sows. The first of these just poked above the ground. Fingers crossed that it will be able to survive. There may be additional changes coming next year as well. The three photos below show the side view, bottom view and top view, respectively. The Former Continental Divide Split - Humid Subtropical Side: This bed has had less overall issues because most of the palms and cycads are native. The Sabal palmetto at the top of the bed is seed-grown, the Zamia integrifolia is doing great, the Coccothrinax argentata has flowered twice, and the lone non-native Veitchia arecina was a rescue that has turned into a stunning specimen. The Serenoa repens in the bed were moved from the front of the yard to make room for other palms. They're currently struggling with an insect invasion. BONUS - A Look Back At The Veitchia arecina: When the original owner of this Veitchia arecina dropped it off, it was very sick and had just spear-pulled. Sometimes plants impress you with their resiliency. After planting it, it was peroxided once per day for two weeks. When it began pushing spears with no brown streaks, I knew it had a shot. The cold fronts in 2022 gave it some frost spotting, but it tends to shake off damage fast and never stalls. That's all for the day. Piece by piece, we're getting there.

Here’s my 15-year-old teddy bear for comparison. A few years older to be sure, but probably 18 feet of clear trunk.

Teenage pregnancy...first time for this little Butia yatay!

The best way to grow a palm is in the ground, so time for this one to go in the ground. Germinated from a few purchased seeds online. With 2 left from 4 seeds not to bad 50/50 odds. Planted in about one of the wettest and cooler spots in my garden I shall see how I go.

Almost two years later update…They are growing well. A bit more sun exposure has brightened the previous deep green leaves.

Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) ambositrae, I planted this palm on June 1st, 2014 as a small plant, it was about 12 inches (30cm) tall. I planted it in my neighbor's land adjacent to my front walkway. It has grown really well, so well that I was convinced to plant one in my own garden. Here are images taken today, October 8th, 2025, after just 11 years of growth. The palm now has 42 inches (107 cm) of true trunk below the leafbases, the bulging base is 8.25 inches (21 cm) in diameter, and the upper trunk is 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. It holds 6 or 7 good fronds. I also favor its habit of a very short period of senescence. The older fronds will change from green to brown, and fall off cleanly in only 7 to 10 days. I have never given it any special care, and actually have somewhat ignored it since I am a notorious procrastinator !

Photos from my garden in Ålesund, Norway at latitude 62N. Phoenix canariensis planted in the ground this july close to the southfacing wall of the house. You can see some serious growth growth from july to october and this is even in the first year in the ground here in Norway! We have a very mild climate here, a zone 9A. Close to the ocean, heavily influenced by the Gulf Stream. To the east we got tall mountains sheltering us from cold easternly winds during the winter. There has been no frost so far this autumn! 😊 november 5th. And before you say something, the palm will be moved further away from the house next year - it is way to close 😄

Mr Latzias sent me these pictures of his V. alba the other day Tim. They really are cracking palms.

I just planted out my largest. This was from a seed batch 8 months before I offered them for sale. So, Jan. 2024 is when I picked this seed. It was rooted nicely into a 2 gallon pot. The parent plant was my wife’s favorite palm in our old garden so seemed fitting to plant it today on her birthday.

Some new seed orders are arriving in the southern hemisphere. I expect good results. These results will have to be evident at the end of the world (Chile), where winters are very cold and apocalyptic. Even so, there are palm trees that can withstand and establish themselves very well.

My larger one in the front just opened a flower spadix but I am still waiting for the individual flowers to open. The one in back that tillered before growing more upright is now growing up at the same pace as this one, just a little behind in size. They are a great mid-sized Chrysalidocarpus. I believe you have a market for your 1 and 3 gallon size second generation plants based on responses when i posted this in another ambositrae thread recently.

They do well here 30 miles south of the Arkansas state line. These palms defoliated 100% last winter, so as you can see they recover quickly. I have four of these I started from seed 20 years ago.

The 11 year old Trachy really exploded this season. It’s also beginning to bend south toward the sun. I didn’t do any before or after measurements but it seems to have grown 1’ or maybe a bit more. The top 1/3 of the canopy is all new. The winter help it gets are some lights wrapped around the crown and only turned on in teens or single digits. I also wrap the base of the trunk in black landscaping cloth to draw in the sun’s radiated heat on sunny days. The Medi grew extremely well, too. Going to have to get creative with the protection this winter. It seems t be outgrowing what I’ve used so far. The McCurtain is really quite a no protection wonder. Literally zero winter damage with zero cover for 8 or 10 winters. It’s got a blue tint to it I really like. The Needles just keep on growing with zero protection. The small Trachy that will be treated like the big one. And the Brazoria…not the greatest for my region as the leaves damage starting in the teens but it pushes new ones out pretty fast and they’re huge! Oh yeah…that “accidental Butia” that turned into a seeded Brazoria (see lower left bottom corner of the small Trachy pic) I’ll just cover with leaves when temperatures hit the 20’s F. Hope everyone’s summer produced a lot of growth.

Ken, No one touches my “jungle” except me with the only exception of my favorite tree service that I need to trim old dead fronds off my Phoenix canariensis, some very tall Queens, and some Washingtonia on my property line that would otherwise drop lots of fronds into my neighbors yard. That’s twice a year. I do everything else.

Planted 1 gallon size in 2021. Doing well in partial shade.

Lol I waste precious time keeping mine still in a pot!

That’s seriously nice Darold! I think this proves it doesn’t require much heat to thrive. Mine took ages to take off but is now motoring along. It split in two a couple of years ago and now each growth point is pushing well above ground after years of being in that phase of looking like its fronds erupted from the ground.