Dypsis arenarum

[Davidl]

How does it do in our Florida climate and will it take full sun ?

[DoomsDave]

It sure takes the sun in California, no problem.

So how do you tell them from D. lutescens?

[Davidl]

D.lutescens do not look the greatest here in full sun that was why I was asking.

[Al in Kona]

I certainly see a lot of Dypsis lutescens around (and even they have some variability) but I don't recall having seen a decent sized Dypsis arenarum yet to be able to compare the two. Anybody out there have any pics of a D. arenarum? Please post!

[Jeff Searle]

I certainly see a lot of Dypsis lutescens around (and even they have some variability) but I don't recall having seen a decent sized Dypsis arenarum yet to be able to compare the two. Anybody out there have any pics of a D. arenarum? Please post!

Al,

I agree. From seed many times, I still continuely get D. lutescens and D. saintelucei instead of what I think would be the true D. arenarum. I still have not seen a plant or know someone that has one themselves. Still a mystery to me.

Jeff

[Davidl]

So should I believe the seeds I got from a online palm seed dealer are not the real deal ? His name is familiar here but I will not mention it.

[Moose]

I got mine at the South Florida Palm Society Holiday after dinner auction in 2007. It was donated by Pete Balansky (might have misspelled). Knowing that Pete was the source, I bellied up and was the top bidder . It is way slower than Dypsis lutescens. I grow mine in filtered light under a tamarind tree.

Hopefully it is the real deal!

Ron.

[Matt in SD]

Ron,

Photo please! I have a palm that I bought as arenarum, but I really don't know if it is or not...and the seller gave me no false impressions. The rumor around Sothern California based on pretty spotty data, is that D arenarum is more colorful than lutescens (more purplish hues and more spotting on the crown and petiole) and seems go grow better and faster in our climate than D lutescens. There is a palm going around that came from seed labeled as arenarum that has these traits, but whether it is the true species, or just a particular lutescens form that outperforms the previous forms is not clear at all. So a photo of a D arenarum from Pete Balasky seed would help a lot.

Matt

[JD in the OC]

I have one growing here in florida. I bought it from Kevin at KW Palms a couple years ago. He imported the seed directly from Gunter in Madagascar.

It is only 2 feet tall, but has 6 or 7 heads on it. Much slower growing than D. lutescens and seems to have wider leaflets. I have been told they look identical to D. lutescens, the only difference being that D. arenarum has smaller seeds. I will try to take a pic tomorrow.

[Matt in SD]

Hmmmm, my palm is also by way of KW Palms, but I got it from someone who got it from Kevin. Maybe it's slow, I haven't grown it long enough, but it's a nice sized 5g. I guess I'll try to get a photo of mine as well.

Matt

[Perito]

Here's a photo of mine taken New Years Day. I also got mine from Kevin. I haven't had any luck growing Dypsis lutescens but this is actually growing for me. Perry

[Gtlevine]

I also got one from KW Palms. It is super slow compared with Lutescens and it does look different. I will get a photo as soon as I can.

Gary

[gsn]

Of the pics posted of what is beleived Dypsis arenarum so far , it looks just like a lutescens to me. And it seems as if they all came from the same source, so I would suspect them to look similar?

However if it turns out to really be a DIFFERENT species (Dypsis arenarum) I'm fairly certain it will be the BOMB DIGGITY and be all the RAGE, even though it looks just like a COMMON D.lutescens,which just about everyone seems to trash, as being way too pedestrian. Amazing what RARE can do for a palms image! just sayin! But then again who knows at maturity it could look completely different? Dypsis mysteries?

Here is a pic of my D.lutescens for comparison at about the same size as the one pictured.

[Brian]

Mine receive morning sun but now I have my doubts if its the real thing. I got the seed from Joseph about 3 years ago. Hopefully he can jump in and confirm what they are. If I remember correctly the seed seemed smaller than Lutescens.

[Brian]

Here's another view

[Matt in SD]

Here are some photos of mine. Scott, I was with you about it being funny people wanted these...if these are really D arenarum, they are a dead ringer for at least some forms of lutescens. But I saw one in the garden where I bought mine, in full sun, and looking perfect. The grower I got it from was having much better luck with these than lutescens. Plus I just love the colors on this palm, and not all lutescens are this colorful.

[Dypsisdean]

For anyone interested, there are more pics, info, and discussion here. I don't feel very secure in our understanding of what this palm really is. Dypsis arenarum Discussion on Palmpedia

[Moose]

As previously requested, here is photos of my palm from Pete Balansky. It is grown in partial shade. I believe that the seed was wild collected by Pete on one of his trips to Madagascar with Jeff Searle. My palm does not appear to me to be the same as the other photos.

Ron.

[Geoff]

This is a Dypsis arenarum (or labeled as such) from Nong Nooch Gardens in Thailand... I thought it looked more like a D psammophila than a lutescens.

[Geoff]

Here's a close up

[Tyrone]

I've got a D arenarum from an RPS seed and the seed was different to regular lutescens. Smaller and more rounded. At the moment it looks like a colourful lutescens. I think at maturity the number of leaflets and petiole length is meant to be different between the two species. Many Dypsis look identical at young ages anyway. It is closely allied with lutescens, so it will look very similar anyway.

Best regards

Tyrone