Palms in Madagascar

[surferjr]

Gentlemen:

It is great to see some images posted and relive some of the moments we shared on that fabulous trip. I apologise for not having taken the time to organise and post the thousands of images I took during the 3 1/2 weeks we were traveling on the Red Island. I recently completed the conversion of the files and sent off a DVD of all my images to Jeff M today. I would be happy to post several images and share in some discussions of the trip when time permits. Hopefully I can do so over the Christmas holiday. Until then I must leave you in anticipation.

Jeffry Brusseau

Jeff,

It's great to hear we'll be seeing some of your imagery.....we wait in anticipation :drool:

Tell than...Happy Holidays,

clark

[calyptrocalyx&licuala freck]

Reduced 83%

Hi Guys,

Here in post 71, The Palm on the left looks very much like what came in as Dypsis sp highland redneck "Just full sun grown", I know Bill.Beattie has one of these beautiful specimens, that is flowering ( Hey Bill tell everyone how hard that timber is).. but his is growing in the shade and will look quite different to one growing in full Sun, possibly this palm came from Jeff Marcus as the seed first came into Australia and Jeff took seedlings back to Hawaii, which either came from Clayton York, (Utopia palms and cycads) or via Rich Trapnell (Rosebud Farm) it was then collected many years after as Dypsis sp hovitrendrina and hovomandrinia the forma name being an incorrect name that was some how mixed up and is not at all a name of any palm Esp any Dypsis.

The reason it was called a redneck is because the seedlings of this species look just like a Dypsis lastelliana seedlings, in fact you would have a very hard time telling them apart, once the seedlings are about 12 months old it then starts to produce lots of white tomentum on the petioles which also gave this species the name "Mealy bug Palm" as this species mainly was in Australia and there were other mealy bug palms out there a few people started to called them the "Australian mealy bug palm", but "mealy bug palm" was more commonly used, as this palm matures the new petiole then becomes a reddish colour which highlighted the mealy bug appearance even more, like most Dypsis they seem to be constantly changing and as you can see once they start to form a trunk, all of the tomentum on the petiole is lost, and they no longer have that Mealy bug appearance to the petioles, also if we were to look at Bill's one ( which is shade grown) compared to this one growing in full sun Bill's one looks like it has lost most of the tomentum from the crownshaft as well, so growing this species in the sun looks like it produces a much nicer looking palm, holding that white tomentum on the crownshaft.

And as for the "high land" part of the original name possibly this was just a means to help sell the seed....? As this species does not come from the high lands and is quite slow growing in the subtropics but seems to grow much faster in the tropics.

And the Palm on the Right Dypsis ovobontsira was described i think from this same reserve (but you would have to check with John.D on that) as a slender palm with a trunk diam circa 13cm (5+") and "spirally arranged leaves". But as you can see with the photo's taken by Jeff and Phillip that this palm leaves are arranged tristichously.....So this still leaves a few questions....?

Cheers and Happy Holidays to all

Regards Mikey...........

[rafiki]

Yo Mikey! Called in at Bunnings to check you out yesterday...but absence...? Please explain!

Great story but both my 'Highland lastelliana' are growing in full sun...one a giant and full of seed in good soil...t'other dwarfed in crud soil but in flower. I not be convinced yet of any link with D. sp. hovomandriana or such named. Patience! Xmas and New Year Cheers to you mate!

Bill.

[rafiki]

Mikey...maybe this subject should be shifted as a separate thread to the main topic which is a report on the Mad tour by JD et al. I know your interest in this but this line, although linked, should not distract from the main info. What do you think? Cheers! Bill.

[Phil]

Bo,

Thank you for posting all of these great photos. Also, of course, thanks to Jeff Marcus, Randy, Jeff B., John and others who made these shots possible.

For those wishing to not only see palms from Madagascar but also hear about them, consider attending the PSSC Annual Banquet scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24th in Orange County, CA. Jeff Marcus is the scheduled speaker and will be showing pictures of his recent trip mentioned above. It's going to be at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach. There is a fee to attend as the meeting includes a rather nice meal. And, there's lots of exotic palms to see at the hotel.

Here's the link for more information:

PSSC Banquet January 2009

I hope to see a lot of you there.

Phil Bergman

Director and Officer

Palm Society of Southern California

[Walter John]

More from Phil Arrowsmith's camera from the trip, Dypsis prestoniana.

[calyptrocalyx&licuala freck]

Mikey...maybe this subject should be shifted as a separate thread to the main topic which is a report on the Mad tour by JD et al. I know your interest in this but this line, although linked, should not distract from the main info. What do you think? Cheers! Bill.

Hi Bill,

A "New" Thread would be a good thing, thats for sure as many are confused enough as it is

Hey quick Question dude, have you cleared around your biggest high-land Redneck to have it in

the full sun. Oh lets make it 2 Questions, I know of your largest one (just off the corner ot ya house)

but where abouts is the second one was that down the bottom of your block.

As Far as Full sun goes the picture of the plant in Hawaii is in what I'd call completely open

and Full sun with nothing else around them at all.

Start that "New Thread" Bill and please take some photo's of the Flowers Etc Etc, have you sent any

Plant material to John Dransfield for him to see if he can Key out your beauty's I think that would show

us alot. Merry Christmas to you and Agnus, Talk to you later.......

Cheers, Mikey

P.s. I'm not at work till after Christmas now cause it's gone very slow at Bunnings,

esp as far as Plants are concerned, Pity.......

Edited December 22, 2008 by calyptrocalyx&licuala freck

[Walter John]

Hate to break up Mikey and Bill's private conversation, but here's some more photos from the Mad team, and what is this palm anyway ? It looks like Dypsis lutescens but with extra glaucous leaves. Golden cane/ Silver cane ?

[Walter John]

And What is this ?

[surferjr]

Bo,

Thank you for posting all of these great photos. Also, of course, thanks to Jeff Marcus, Randy, Jeff B., John and others who made these shots possible.

For those wishing to not only see palms from Madagascar but also hear about them, consider attending the PSSC Annual Banquet scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24th in Orange County, CA. Jeff Marcus is the scheduled speaker and will be showing pictures of his recent trip mentioned above. It's going to be at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach. There is a fee to attend as the meeting includes a rather nice meal. And, there's lots of exotic palms to see at the hotel.

Here's the link for more information:

PSSC Banquet January 2009

I hope to see a lot of you there.

Phil Bergman

Director and Officer

Palm Society of Southern California

Phil,

Don't leave Wal.....he posted a heap too :rolleyes:

Merry Christmas,

clark

[Mandrew968]

Bump! The palm being sold as Ravenea sp. Giant is Ravenea krociana, right?

[BS Man about Palms]

I suspect so, but in these areas, no guarantees..