Cycad cones and flushes

[Urban Rainforest]

Some more blue A’s

[Urban Rainforest]

Nubimontanus

[Urban Rainforest]

Arenarius x Horridus

[Urban Rainforest]

Whitelockii and too many more. Gonna be a good year!

[Tracy]

9 hours ago, Urban Rainforest said:

Maybe Dypsis cant tell for sure from the trunk? Nice landscape for sure!

Yes, a pair of trunks on a Dypsis pembana, now Chrysalidocarpus pembanus.   Good eye.

[Urban Rainforest]

3 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Yes, a pair of trunks on a Dypsis pembana, now Chrysalidocarpus pembanus.   Good eye.

Yeah I used to grow all the Dypsis here and Hawaii. I miss them! Hopefully again someday🙏

[Brian]

12 hours ago, Tracy said:

This Zamia standleyi pushed male cones again but no new leaves.it appears to have two subterranean growth points with each holding only 1 leaf.  I am curious if this is consistent with others experience with this species.

I have grown this plant for probably about 15 years and it has been in this container for at least the last 7 or 8 years, so it is established. 

Mine has a similar growth pattern although each growing point holds about 3 leafs. 
Here you can see mine with multiple subterranean growing points and disintegrated seed cones.

 

[Brian]

Zamia fairchildiana with a new flush.

[Brian]

This one is unlabeled but I’m pretty sure it’s Encephalartos natalensis. 

[Brian]

On 7/13/2025 at 12:06 PM, Urban Rainforest said:

Nubimontanus

Is this a rooted pup?

[Brian]

Here is a 20 leaf flush on my Encephalartos transvenosus x latifrons. It’s still a young but aggressive growing plant and each flush seems to bring out new characteristics. Can’t wait to see how this one turns out.

 

[Urban Rainforest]

47 minutes ago, Brian said:

Is this a rooted pup?

No I bought it as a one leaf seedling several years ago. I do have an almost 5” True blue Arenarius pup im rooting out right now. 

[Urban Rainforest]

37 minutes ago, Brian said:

Here is a 20 leaf flush on my Encephalartos transvenosus x latifrons. It’s still a young but aggressive growing plant and each flush seems to bring out new characteristics. Can’t wait to see how this one turns out.

 

That is a very impressive looking hybrid! Nice colorfull flush as well. Sure to be a stunner!

[Urban Rainforest]

I think anything you add Latifrons to just makes it better👍

[Tracy]

17 minutes ago, Urban Rainforest said:

I think anything you add Latifrons to just makes it better👍

If my Encephalartos latifrons or one of the hybrids I have turn out to be male, I will definitely hit my Encephalartos horridus × woodii cones with that pollen.  As hybrids go, it will be spectacular. 

[Urban Rainforest]

Speaking of Latifrons I picked up 3 more last year and all three are flushing right now! Im stoked they are throwing now because that means they will probably flush again this season. The plant behind the one flushing just popped last night. I have two completely differant leaf forms but I bought all 3 as Trappes Valley. Prob just a variation.

[Urban Rainforest]

6 minutes ago, Tracy said:

If my Encephalartos latifrons or one of the hybrids I have turn out to be male, I will definitely hit my Encephalartos horridus × woodii cones with that pollen.  As hybrids go, it will be spectacular. 

No doubt👍

[Brian]

Zamia vazquezii flushing bronze. I have several others that flush green but this one always flushes with this bronze color. As a bonus, it holds this color for a pretty long time and then gradually fade to green. 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

On 7/13/2025 at 2:06 PM, Urban Rainforest said:

Nubimontanus

I saw one of these in person at fairchild recently. And while the plant itself was a bit of a messy clump, the color had me coming back day after day to get a look at it. In the future this definitely has to be part of my collection, I heard it’s quite endangered too.

[Urban Rainforest]

28 minutes ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

I saw one of these in person at fairchild recently. And while the plant itself was a bit of a messy clump, the color had me coming back day after day to get a look at it. In the future this definitely has to be part of my collection, I heard it’s quite endangered too.

I have had and seen ones that were more on the green side in the past but the last batch I bought had that really nice color to them. And yes I have read that they are virtually extinct in the wild.

[Gallop]

On 7/3/2025 at 8:54 PM, Billeb said:

Here’s my Dioon Edule “Queretaro Blue” flushing a set. Nothing last year so I’m excited. Definite difference between this variety new leaf color and the standard Edule. 
 

-dale 

Definitely a nice Dioon, I have a few in the garden. I notice a bit of variation in Queretaro blue. Some flush purple some more red / bronze. Plants vary in how revolute the leaves are.  Some are super blue, some not so blue..

 

[Billeb]

35 minutes ago, Gallop said:

Definitely a nice Dioon, I have a few in the garden. I notice a bit of variation in Queretaro blue. Some flush purple some more red / bronze. Plants vary in how revolute the leaves are.  Some are super blue, some not so blue..

 

Agreed. Yours look perfect. Standard Edule look way different though. I’m not a huge Dioon fan but I am a huge Encephalartos fan. It’s good to mix it up a bit for sure. 
 

-dale

[Tracy]

12 hours ago, Urban Rainforest said:

I have had and seen ones that were more on the green side in the past but the last batch I bought had that really nice color to them. And yes I have read that they are virtually extinct in the wild.

This Encephalartos nubimontanus flushes green then the leaflets harden and turn a grayish green.  It isn't as gray blue as either Encephalartos dyerianus or eugene-maraisii specimens in my garden.

I pulled the pair of pups off a couple of years ago and planted them in a very sunny spot with reflected heat from the wall.  One of them is just starting to push it's second flush since I removed it from the parent.

[Urban Rainforest]

On 7/16/2025 at 7:34 AM, Gallop said:

Definitely a nice Dioon, I have a few in the garden. I notice a bit of variation in Queretaro blue. Some flush purple some more red / bronze. Plants vary in how revolute the leaves are.  Some are super blue, some not so blue..

 

Lovin those Dioon flushes👍

[Urban Rainforest]

I decided to keep this Nubimontanus for myself because of the wide colorfull leaves and potted it up into a 15 gal. Nice colorfull flush is a bonus.

[Urban Rainforest]

Joubertina blue Longifolious

[Urban Rainforest]

Theres gnarly and then there is this😳Blue Arenarius flushes turning blue.

[Gallop]

Dioon Vovidesii

[Urban Rainforest]

Adding to wish list! That color is gorgeous!

[Tracy]

Flushes progressing on my Encephalartos arenarius × hybrid.   Leaflets are very attractive on this imo.

[Urban Rainforest]

Nice flush Tracy! Does that have Woodii in it?

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, Urban Rainforest said:

Nice flush Tracy! Does that have Woodii in it?

I got it as such a cross.  Over the last few years, I have discussed that with Braden when he has been here as well as when I have been to his garden.  His view is that there were both E. arenarius x woodii and E arenarius x natalensis at the source of them, and that the natalensis crosses were accidentally mislabeled as the E arenarius x woodii too.  There is a difference between what he has as E arenarius x woodii and this plant, and the male cones this plant produces are much smaller than true E woodii cones.  That said, I also have an E natalensis x arenarius in Carlsbad that is about the same age as this plant.  That plant looks different than this one.  So it is all a little muddled at this point.  I switched to calling it an arenarius hybrid.  It is attractive, but other than giving away some pollen several years ago, I haven't used pollen from it to confuse future generations.  I just appreciated it for its own appearance.

[Urban Rainforest]

Its a beautifull Cycad and Im pretty sure I see some Woodii in there!

[Tracy]

This Encephalartos arenarius is pushing out it's first cone.  I always try to be patient for it to get further out before jumping to any conclusions on sex, but sm happy to entertain others initial opinions. 

[Urban Rainforest]

Thats a good looking Arenarius! Im seeing lots of blue in the leaves. Your stoked its coning. I hope its a female for you!

[Tracy]

On 7/15/2025 at 8:12 PM, TropicsEnjoyer said:

I saw one of these in person at fairchild recently. And while the plant itself was a bit of a messy clump, the color had me coming back day after day to get a look at it. In the future this definitely has to be part of my collection, I heard it’s quite endangered too.

If you like the color of Encephalartos nubimontanus,  you will also like Encephalartos dyerianus.   This one if flushing after taking a year off during 2024. You can see it is holding the two prior flushes.  The immediate prior one has a little of the waxy coating that gives the silvery green appearance to the leaflets, but the oldest flush is mostly devoid of any of the waxy color providing material.

I attribute this plant's decision to be an inconsistent flushing plant to the fact that it is in more shade than it would like.  The Chrysalidocarpus lutescens behind it was smaller when I planted the dyerianus, but I wanted something to act as a screen from the street outside the wall, and neighbor's across the street, so the clumping palm is doing its job, even though this cycad wants more sun.

[DTS]

Mines Recovering from last winter

 

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, DTS said:

Mines Recovering from last winter

 

I believe i see a midrib on the leaflets so will guess this is a Cycas, and most likely Cycas revoluta?  That is an adventurous soul growing it in Michigan. 

[DTS]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

I believe i see a midrib on the leaflets so will guess this is a Cycas, and most likely Cycas revoluta?  That is an adventurous soul growing it in Michigan. 

it is a revoluta! I'm really suprised it was the one to survive and not the butia since i protected it more then the sago.

[Brian]

Dioon tomasellii flushes once a year for me. It’s a beautiful flush so I’m always excited when it’s starting to flush. A few weeks ago it looked like it was going to start flushing but threw out a cone instead.