Dypsis baronii & Trachycarpus martianus in Berkeley, California

[JasonD]

Some beautiful specimens maybe 10 blocks from SF Bay and facing the Golden Gate

[JasonD]

I suspect John Leupold planted these for the homeowner. Nice choice.

[JasonD]

close-up

[JasonD]

Trunks

[JasonD]

Trachycarpus martianus is our consolation for not being able to grow Coccothrinax or Thrinax.

[JasonD]

They seem to need staking at the moment of lift-off.

[JasonD]

More foliage

[JasonD]

Flowers on a tree in Oakland, California, at the Lakeside Palmetum

[JasonD]

Crown silhouette against a gloomy sky

[JasonD]

I believe the Trachycarpus martianus at the Lakeside Palmetum was planted in the 1980s, but I'm not sure.

[Jonathan]

Those baronii's look great Jason, which other Dypsis go well up there?

Cheers,

Jonathan

[PalmGuyWC]

Jason,

I can see you covered quite a bit of territory in the East Bay yesterday. Thanks for the commentary and the photographic tour. Do you know if the T. martianus at the Oakland garden is a male or a female? I have one that is a good size now and should be blooming in the near future. It would be nice if we could produce our own seeds in N. Calif.

Dick

[Darold Petty]

Hello to all. The Trachycarpus martianus featured in post # 8 is a female, was planted in 1983 or 1984, and was donated by ....

"PalmGuyWC"!!

[John Case]

Dick couldn't have known the sex when he donated it; he didn't look under the tail!

[PalmGuyWC]

Hi Darold,

I don't remember donating the palm but it's sister or brother is growing in Walnut Creek. Mine is about a year or two from blooming. The one in Oakland has grown must faster than mine. Let's hope mine is a male.

Dick

[JasonD]

  Jonathan said:

Those baronii's look great Jason, which other Dypsis go well up there?

Cheers,

Jonathan

Dypsis decipiens grew for many years at the same palmetum and survived our freeze of 1990 (24F minimum with freezes every night for a week+), but eventually rotted.

Jim Denz probably has some info from his experiences.

[Jonathan]

Thanks Jason.

We don't get those continental type freezes - so we might have more luck with decipiens...

I'm trying onilahensis and ambositrae as well - but not holding my breath!

(I'm not gonna mention the decaryi I bought, or the mananjarensis....)

Cheers,

Jonathan

[PalmGuyWC]

I remember I did donate the D. dicipiens to the Oakland Palmatum. It grew nicely and had a double trunk. The "Christians" used to raid our palm garden for palm Sunday, and they removed all the fronds on the D. dicipiens except the emerging sphere. It recovered in spite of that, but then an irrigation pipe sprung a leak and finally drowned the poor palm.

Dick

[Dan OKeeffe]

Jason

Wow that is a great look baronii! Nice find.

Dan

[ghar41]

  JasonD said:

More foliage

Very nice, Jason. Your photos of T. martianus are excellent examples of the recognized variations within the species...Posts #5 and 7 being the "Khasa Hills" with its 360 deg. (or nearly so) fans...

And posts #8 and #9 from the Palmetum being of the "Nepal" variant...

The Khasa Hills variant is my favorite Trachycarpus, although i am yet to see a T. princeps with trunk and large leaves.....

[ghar41]

  PalmGuyWC said:

I remember I did donate the D. dicipiens to the Oakland Palmatum. It grew nicely and had a double trunk. The "Christians" used to raid our palm garden for palm Sunday, and they removed all the fronds on the D. dicipiens except the emerging sphere. It recovered in spite of that, but then an irrigation pipe sprung a leak and finally drowned the poor palm.

Dick

Interesting....

Saturday, Darold and I discussed the area of the palmetum still plagued by poor drainage. He said the city came out, dug and inspected the area, didnt find the leak and so concluded there was no leak.

Nothing is thriving in that section.

Darold did mention that many years ago that section was a paved parking lot. That would certainly lend itself to poor drainage when one considers the grading and compaction process...followed by years of heavy vehicles. Who knows...

Id really like to see another D. decipiens given a try somewhere in the collection. I have some one gallon plants... the "super" variety (if there really is such a thing...) I'd be more than glad to donate one when they are planting size....

[DoomsDave]

Jason!

More pictures of No-Cal!

[ghar41]

  PalmGuyWC said:

Hi Darold,

I don't remember donating the palm but it's sister or brother is growing in Walnut Creek. Mine is about a year or two from blooming. The one in Oakland has grown must faster than mine. Let's hope mine is a male.

Dick

I have 3 or 4 of this Nepalese variety that are a couple years away from blooming also. I'd bet we could set seed on these plants in the near future.

[John Case]

  ghar41 said:

  PalmGuyWC said:

I remember I did donate the D. dicipiens to the Oakland Palmatum. It grew nicely and had a double trunk. The "Christians" used to raid our palm garden for palm Sunday, and they removed all the fronds on the D. dicipiens except the emerging sphere. It recovered in spite of that, but then an irrigation pipe sprung a leak and finally drowned the poor palm.

Dick

Interesting....

Saturday, Darold and I discussed the area of the palmetum still plagued by poor drainage. He said the city came out, dug and inspected the area, didnt find the leak and so concluded there was no leak.

Nothing is thriving in that section.

Darold did mention that many years ago that section was a paved parking lot. That would certainly lend itself to poor drainage when one considers the grading and compaction process...followed by years of heavy vehicles. Who knows...

Id really like to see another D. decipiens given a try somewhere in the collection. I have some one gallon plants... the "super" variety (if there really is such a thing...) I'd be more than glad to donate one when they are planting size....

May be we should put some majesties out in the wet area, at least until the leak is found.....

[JasonD]

I forget...people on PalmTalk like this stuff -- they really like it!

More to come when I get the time.

  Dave from So-Cal said:

Jason!

More pictures of No-Cal!

[JasonD]

It's on Grayson St near 8th St in Berkeley; that's south of University Ave.

  Dan OKeeffe said:

Jason

Wow that is a great look baronii! Nice find.

Dan

[JasonD]

We should plant another in the same spot on the rise near the Jubaea -- assuming said leak is fixed.

  PalmGuyWC said:

I remember I did donate the D. dicipiens to the Oakland Palmatum. It grew nicely and had a double trunk. The "Christians" used to raid our palm garden for palm Sunday, and they removed all the fronds on the D. dicipiens except the emerging sphere. It recovered in spite of that, but then an irrigation pipe sprung a leak and finally drowned the poor palm.

Dick

[Tyrone]

  Jonathan said:

Thanks Jason.

We don't get those continental type freezes - so we might have more luck with decipiens...

I'm trying onilahensis and ambositrae as well - but not holding my breath!

(I'm not gonna mention the decaryi I bought, or the mananjarensis....)

Cheers,

Jonathan

Jonathan I planted a small D decipiens at my in-laws place in Albany on the south coast which is not quite as far south as you being 35S, but it grew through winter without a hitch. It's a maritime climate like yours, but never drops below zero and very rarely below 2C, but it can have long cold dreary wet windy winters. It also lacks serious summer heat except for a direct northerly wind which can heat things up. But the D decipiens looks great and I think it thinks it's at home in the highlands of Madagascar. I think you'd be fine with this species if you plant it in fullsun in free draining soil. D onilahensis though slow should do fine for you, again in a sunny location. If you have the true form D ambositrae, you should have no trouble as well, as it comes from a similar habitat to decipiens. Even D sp fineleaf may grow for you too.

D decaryi may survive for you in a sunny location but almost not grow due to lack of summer heat. This species likes to be baked in serious high temps to kick along. If you planted it in fullsun against a north facing wall in a rockery for example it may do fine. D mananjarensis may be pushing the boundaries a tad too far though, but, by all means prove me wrong. Sometimes these tropical species surprise us all. The guys who first grew Butia's would likely have never thought that a tropical Brazilian palm would grow in the south of England!

Best regards

Tyrone

[JasonD]

Hi Jonathan,

My understanding is that the Dypsis decipiens didn't die as a result of the freeze but because it got swamped by the broken irrigation. They like it a bit dry.

Also, re Albany, WA, I believe that it's close to the native habitat of Corymbia (Eucalyptus) ficifolia, a splendid plant for San Francisco. By association I'd think you'd do very well with Dypsis decipiens and the D. baronii complex.

Cheers,

Jason

  Jonathan said:

Thanks Jason.

We don't get those continental type freezes - so we might have more luck with decipiens...

I'm trying onilahensis and ambositrae as well - but not holding my breath!

(I'm not gonna mention the decaryi I bought, or the mananjarensis....)

Cheers,

Jonathan

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

My D Decipiens is pretty bullet proof here in Modesto... though it wasn't amused by my attempt to force it into growing a bit faster with too much fertilizer mid summer. It got a little tip burn.... no biggie.

The top of the latetest spear should be over 7 feet tall before opening soon.

They really pick up speed after 5 years in the ground and when the weather is from 80 to 100f.

I have been prning off its " Evil twin " the past year as fast it can grow...it gets cut back... and it gets smaller and smaller. Its now as small as a pencil.

Looks like this 7 year palm will be putting out some bare trunk this summer .

Years ago, I wish I had planted at least 5 more of these guys... its a waiting game... but the wait is worth it... and they seem hardier than queen pams.

Jeff