Need to know what this Palm is

[rozpalm]

Hi guys, I am new here and thought you may be able to help me with identifying a Palm that is growing in my Yard.   My yard is somewhat of a topical jungle on 1.5 acres and as my wife says, I always have room for one more palm. My ultimate goal is to get rid of all my grass (don't tell my wife though ).     Anyhow, many times I get lots of seedlings and palms pop-up that I never planted. Most of the time I just let things grow. Well, I have a bunch of these palms (picture below) growing all over my yard that I swear I never planted.    I do have several mature carpentaria, adonidia, montogmery's  and kings growing in the yard but this plant looks like none of them.  I have shown it to several nurserymen and each gives me a different palm type. What throws most are the way the fronds are at all levels on the crown shaft.  

Thanks

Ron

[surgeon83]

Welcome to the board!

Syagrus botryophora has similar spacing between fronds, but the fronds are more plumose.   I have also seen young carpentarias with similar spacing.  

My vote is for young Carpentaria acuminata.

We have several experts (unlike myself) on the board, who will certainly correct me momentarily.

How about more pics from your yard?

-Brian

[MattyB]

I thought Carpentaria but we don't see that much in California so I could be wrong.

[bgl]

Hi Ron,

Welcome to the IPS Forum. And it strikes me as a Carpentaria as well, even though they normally don't seem to have fronds at different levels like that.

Aloha from the Big Island!

Bo-Göran

PS - just curious: how can you be east of the Atlantic? ???

[rozpalm]

That is what I thought but twice I was told that it was not by people that are in the business.   That is when I got looking at the palm closer and began to agree with them. For one here is a picture of the base of the tree. It has no exposed roots (may not be clear in the picture) and the trunk is fat at the bottom like w.bifurcata whereas carpentaria's have exposed roots bulging out below the  the base. The trunk of Carpentaria is also very consistent all the way to the crown, where as this is very tapered.

When I look at the leaf of both, there are also differences. The Carpentaria the pinnae are erect while this tree the pinnae are drooping.  The tips of the pinnae are also different from carpentaria and this palm.  

Also, don't know if my signature is working but I am in Wellington, Florida which is zone 10. I am in Palm Beach County.  

Here is the Base:

I will post some of my yard pictures in another thread. Here is one in my backyard looking toward this tree

[Palm Hound]

Ron,

Welcome. Nice Palm! Love the leaf arrangement. Wish I knew what it was too. That's great that your wife says there's always room for one more palm. Feel Lucky! Good luck with the i.d.

David

[rozpalm]

Thanks to all those for the very nice welcome and the help of identifying this palm. The reason I it is so important to me is that I have one I want to move to a place that will not support a Carpentaria's height.

Bo, your yard is my inspiration for what I want to do (on a much smaller scale of course) with mine.   We plan to travel to Hawaii in the near future and I would love to take the tour.

[FRITO]

I dont have any idea on the palm ID.

however Welcome to the forum!  your yard looks great! And I think Bo was trying to say west of the Atlantic, your signature says east..

regards

Luker

[Jason in Orlando]

I'm voting for Carpentaria too, based on the terminal leaflets.

Jason

[bgl]

Ron,

You're welcome here any time - just let me know when you begin to plan your trip, and if I (or others) can help you with any info for Hawaii, just let us know!

Bo-Göran

And Frito - NO, I actually meant exactly what I wrote since Ron initially had "13 miles EAST of the Atlantic" in his signature... :cool:  I see he's changed it!

[brodklop]

I think it is a carpentaria. In their growth spurt from a small palm to a mature one the crown can very often be elongated as this one is. As the palm matures it forms a more compact head with a prominent crownsharft. This is a sign the palm is growing well.

Maybe the local bird population has taken a liking to carpy seeds and have kindly did their thing over your property.

Regards

Brod

[rozpalm]

Carpentaria makes sense since I have two that seed most of the year. And perhaps the Hurricanes in 2004/2005 may have helped as well as the birds.  I guess what throws people off is the elongation of the crown.  This tree, like the others, grew fairly quickly and that probably contributed to the elongation I guess.  Thanks for all the feedback this will save me from making a re-planting mistake with another one of these that is growing in the my lake.

[Alan_Tampa]

Looks just like Carpentaria to me also.  I have seen many that show this character; it seems to be diagnostic.

Alan

[tim_brissy_13]

Looks like most Carpentarias I've seen at that size.

[surgeon83]

Woohoo!!    :laugh:  :laugh:   I actually got it right for once!  I probably DOUBLED my palm ID skills during my last 5-day trip to FL.  'Course it didn't hurt that Christian Faulkner has a 10' or 12' carpie in his yard that has the same frond arrangement...

[Jeff Searle]

If I can jump on the band wagon myself. It is a carpentaria. And when their at a young age and happy, they grow very fast and therefore hold a lot of leaves and the trunk can become tapered from the ground up. It's happy.

Jeff

[rozpalm]

Thanks everyone for the ID.   Its only fitting that I introduce one of the proud parents that has given me about 20 or so of these trees all around my yard.  Its a little over 40' (the fence is 6.5' to the ground) and has survived three hurricanes.