Ravenea rivularis

[surgeon83]

Lets get some pictures of Ravenea rivularis posted here.  Mine will be more interesting in a few years, after they start trunking, but they're growing as fast as they can.

Largest; one year in the ground

Freebie, 2 years in the ground:

Show us yours!

[surgeon83]

Another freebie back from the dead:

[Palmy]

How do you keep yours so green?

[SunnyFl]

Very nice, surgeon!  Always love seeing riv pics.

Why is the one "back from the dead" ?

[bgl]

Here's one of ours

[Walter John]

I love their look before they trunk like in the first photo of this thread, once they get big trunks , they lose something for me.

What's the opinion of others ?

ps: I have given mine away.

[Wai`anae Steve]

Wal,

  Have you seen them growing with "lots" of water?  The trunk gets massively thick.  Very impressive.

[surgeon83]

Thanks for all the compliments.  

Palmy, I water every one of them every day and they each got some palm fertilizer stakes in April or so.  Last year I used to water them with Miracle grow about every week, but I put too much on in the fall and they really yellowed out.  

bgl- I'll add that to my list of reasons to move to Hawaii!

SunnyFl- the second palm belonged to my roommate about 3 years ago, and he nearly killed it by keeping it in a dark corner until every leaf was dead.  I saved it and it threw a new spear.  My mom bought the potted one for me at a garage sale, and by the time it got to me (months later), it had but one leaf and a spear.  

Wal- I certainly do like them even before they trunk- like how each of the leaf bases makes such a bulge at the base, but I also can't wait till it starts trunking.  I respect your opinion, though; I feel the same way about some other species myself.

[Walter John]

Here's a beauty at the growth stage I love best for Majestics, growing at my daughter's property, Sunshine Coast hinterland, Sth East Qld. This palm is getting large.

View 1

View 2

[surgeon83]

That's nice, Wal.  Looks to be about 10-12' (~3-3.6m) tall to me; is that accurate?  I guess mine still has plenty of time before it loses its appeal   .  Does that one receive lots of shade?  There is a lady one street over from me who has two that same size that she planted 10 years ago at 3' (~.95m) tall and they're in full shade.  Then I've seen others with 3' of trunk and leaves no bigger than the ones mine has (6' or about 1.9m )

[Scott]

Hi,

One of my Rivularis' has a new spear - but it's yellow at the base and loose. Next to it, there's a tiny leaf that's opened, only ab9ut 3 or 4" tall. The palm as a whole is about 6' tall.

Has anyone had an unhealthy spear like that. It gets watered everyday.

[Guest]

My potted Ravenea rivularis, 18 months from seedling, ready for the ground...

[MattyB]

The Beast!!

[Scott]

Matt... thant Rivularis has really grown since your post on the last Palm Talk forum that Dypsis Dean started a couple of months ago.

Will that eventually require some extra room where the drive is?

[surgeon83]

Scott, yes I've had some of mine throw tiny spears like that after severe stress.  They kept growing and the leaves gradually got bigger and bigger again.

Great pictures, everyone!

[Mike in Houston]

Hello everyone,

Robert Lee Riffle notes that in its native habitat, Majesty Palm Ravenea rivularis, grows along the banks of streams and rivers in Madagascar, often standing in water for weeks or months on end. With this in mind, I planted my Ravenea on the edge of my gardens Cypress Pond and after heavy rains it too may stand in water for weeks at a time.

The palm has done well under these conditions, just wish we had more rain, it has been scarce around my garden this past year.

Here is a neat photo I took of my Ravenea during an unusual snowfall we had here in Houston on December 24, 2004. The light freeze and snow caused no harm to the palm and today it is still growing strong.

[bgl]

Mike,

That's a great shot! Would make for a pretty unique Christmas card!

Bo

[Mike in Houston]

Thanks Bo, it was pure magic walking through the tropical garden with snowfall, one of the perks of tropical gardening outside the tropics  

[BS Man about Palms]

Classic shot Mike!!!

[Mike in Houston]

Thanks Bill, God's work, I just shoot it.

In March, spring rains have filled the Cypress Pond, flooding the Ravenea rivularis. Here is a shot of the palm showing it with wet feet one early spring afternoon. This very wet approach has made a difference in the growth rate. My neighbors planted a couple around the same time as I did, placing theirs out in a hot dry area. Those palms are stunted and have grown very little in 3 years.

[SunnyFl]

(Mike in Houston @ Jul. 03 2006,23:52)

QUOTE

Here is a neat photo I took of my Ravenea during an unusual snowfall we had here in Houston on December 24, 2004. The light freeze and snow caused no harm to the palm and today it is still growing strong.

Mike, that is a beautiful photo.  I had to keep coming back to it as it was so very moving.

Thank you for posting it.

[Mike in Houston]

Thank you SunnyFl,

This thread started with surgeon83 almost apologizing that his new Raveneas 'will be more interesting in a few years, after they start trunking, but they're growing as fast as they can'

Sometimes we can get in a rut just trying to get the mostest and biggest of plants (palms) in our garden, missing many beautiful small moments that occur with our plants each day. One reason I like photography is it is the challenge of capturing this fleeting beauty in a photo. My garden has many moments it looks fantastic but they often pass in just a few minutes.

I might note here also that I joined the IPS in 1976 and have been growing palms every since. The Cypress Pond scene pictured above came from my wish to have a bit of Florida in my own backyard. I used to live on Siesta Key near Sarasota and was always impressed with the wild Cypress hammocks along the coast.

So when I bought my Houston home I started digging and planting. I started with a St. Augustine covered lawn and a couple of legustrums. Most everything was grown from seeds and cuttings.

Thanks again for your nice comments.

[Alan_Tampa]

I grew up on Siesta Key, Mike.   Which end did you live on?

Alan

[Palmy]

To bad I dont have a wet wet place in my yard. but if you fill up the pot with water where it wont be able to go anywhere will that increase it?

[Mike in Houston]

What a great place to grow up if you like nature and tropicals! I only remember one Siesta Key, there were several Keys down the coast. I used to work for Tom Yonkman at his Bamboo Gardens Nursery on Siesta Key. That was fun.

Palmy..If your palm is small enough for a pot, I bet it would like to be sitting in a saucer of water most of the time. There cheap enough to try one with and one without standing in water and see if there is a difference in growth rates.

[Exotic Life]

Hi,

So much nice pictures to see, but i have a little question. What is the absolute minium that can handle the Ravenea rivularis ?

Greetz robbin

[BobbyinNY]

The Beast!!

Matty, that's beautiful... How Long has it been in that spot and how big was it when you put it there.... Looks like a full-sun area - am I correct?

Mike, that Pic of the snow coming down is really beautiful - It's amazing how the contrasts can go together without doing any damage - just goes to prove that a light frost can be even more damaging than a snowfall.

[Mike in Houston]

You're right Bobby, snow can fall out of a colder upper atmosphere and drift down into warmer layers. I think it got down to about 30 on Christmas eve, night of the snow, it was cold enough to put a thin layer of ice in the bird bath.

Frost forms out in open areas under a clear sky and I think the radiational heat loss of exposed plants can be significantly lower than surrounding air, maybe in the lower 20's when the air is just near freezing.

So Ravenea rivularis will do better in marginally colder areas if planted under the protective canopy of larger trees and in a boggy or wet area. Frost will damage the leaves quickly but under trees the palm can probably take 28F for a couple of hours and make it.

[iwan]

Based on my experience this spring, 11 hours below freezing with a low of 23.6F will kill a fully exposed plant in a 15g container.  Damage didn't start showing up for ~1 week and the spear finally pulled about 3 months later.  Good thing Home Depot has a 1 year warranty.

[DoomsDave]

Surge!

How about a follow-up?

[Rafael]

Here is mine, sided by two babys (chambeyronia and r.sapida).

[Tampa Scott]

Here are pics of 2 of mine...

[Tyrone]

Do you get volunteer seedlings underneath?

best regards

Tyrone

[Zeeth]

Do you get volunteer seedlings underneath?

best regards

Tyrone

R. rivularis is dioecious

[Tampa Scott]

Do you get volunteer seedlings underneath?

best regards

Tyrone

R. rivularis is dioecious

I have not had volunteer seedlings as of this date, but the one that had not flowered up untill now is a male tree. The other if a female and has flowered for 3 yrs.

[Tyrone]

You should get lots of fresh seed soon then. Fresh seed germinates really quickly and growth is vigorous.

I've only got one plant in my garden so I'll never get seed. All my other Ravenea species I plan to plant at least 3 or more due to the dioecious flowering of this genus.

Best regards

Tyrone