Meryta balansae

[LJG]

I took this picture today of my three Meryta balansae. They are growing well and one is now branching. I hand pollinated them this year and ended up with seed. I have 90 plants growing up now I will eventually sell. This is a great plant from New Cal and does well in the SoCal and San Fran.

[ellidro]

Len nice work pollinated these. It sounds like these are pretty hard to come by.

[BS Man about Palms]

were those the ones Matt took? I finally threw mine in the ground about 2-3 weeks ago..

[ariscott]

Oh.... so pretty Len... looking forward to mine. If only they are not SO SLOW!!! How old are yours?

Regards, Ari

[LJG]

I bought these as 6 inch tall seedlings for $50 each from Leon 4 years ago. They are slow in pots but take off in the ground.

[Gbarce]

gorgeous leaves. they look like bird's nest anthuriums

[Peter]

Looking great Len. They'll only get better as they get larger too. Here was my biggest one before gophers took it; it was about 10' and the leaves were about 3' long. I managed to get pollen off of it before it was killed and I pollinated the smaller one on the left. I believe Matt got the seeds and had some germinate. I'm glad you're propogating this as our source in New Cal has dried up and we only got seeds that one time back in either '04 or '05. Great plant!

[ariscott]

Oh.... I forgot about that gopher attack!!! I hope the gopher will leave the other one alone... New Caledonia stuff!!! I forget how slow they are... If they are tabebuia or Jacaranda, they will be 4m in 4 years .

BTW, Peter... there is hope for my Barringtonia... it has leaves on it!!!!!

[LJG]

Peter, that seed did not germinate. The seed I gave Matt did. I still have tons of seed but I heard it must be fresh. Not sure.

[Bags]

Len,

Nice plant. Keep me in mind when they are ready to sell. Aaron

[richnorm]

I have Meryta denhamii about to flower. Any tips on hand pollination? I might even try to hybridise with our local Meryta sinclairii if I can find one in bloom.

cheers

Richard

[Peter]

Richard, when I hand pollinated mine I cut the flowers off of my male plant, held them over a piece of white paper, and shook out the pollen. The white paper makes it easy to collect as you can see it plainly. From there, I took a Q-tip and painted the pollen onto the flowers of my female plant. Also, I had frozen the pollen for a year until my female plant was mature. Seemed to work fine.

[richnorm]

Thanks Peter, I didn't even realise they were dioecious. I have three plants so better check the other two for flowers or else a hybrid attempt it will be! Very helpful to know the pollen freezes well.

cheers

Richard

[Tracy]

I picked up my Meryta balansae from Matt a while back and waited to get It in the ground a while.  I finally planted it a few months ago.  It is getting established and appreciates being released from its tall citrus pot.  I noticed it is branching already too.  

I bought a couple more this spring at a Palm Society auction because Matt donated them.  One is in the ground and my third remains on a pot for now.  If you got some of this seed batch, update this thread on how they ate growing for you as well as information on light exposure you are giving yours.

[PlantMorePalms]

I planted two 6" plants just over a year ago here in SF. One gets a lot of direct midday/afternoon sun and gusty wind, the other is in all day shade.  They're both 4-5' tall now and are pretty trouble free in our mild climate. First pic is the shade grown plant, second is the sun/wind exposed plant. At this point I'd say that the main difference between them is that the plant in the shade as slightly larger and darker leaves. 

[Billeb]

@Tracy , here’s both my Balansae I got from the same litter as you from Matt. The one planted 6 months earlier has gotten substantially bigger than the other. The larger is over 7ft tall and has 26” leaves so it seems very happy. South exposure, protected by the West from a Patio so it’s ideal. (Pictures #1,2) 

The smaller one is in my from yard facing North so it’s protected from the South by another patio cover. It doesn’t get the sun. It’s 5ft tall with 18” leaves. (Pictures #3,4,5)

I want to thank you for making me go look at the plants because the smaller one looks to be infested with tiny bugs. Probably wouldn’t have seen them for awhile if I didn’t go out and snoop around better. 
 

Both seem to be happy and have grown leaps and bounds in 1yr. Last picture was taken Aug 2023 before I planted the one in my front yard  

-dale 
 

[Tracy]

19 minutes ago, Billeb said:

@Tracy , here’s both my Balansae I got from the same litter as you from Matt. The one planted 6 months earlier has gotten substantially bigger than the other. The larger is over 7ft tall and has 26” leaves so it seems very happy. South exposure, protected by the West from a Patio so it’s ideal. (Pictures #1,2) 

The smaller one is in my from yard facing North so it’s protected from the South by another patio cover. It doesn’t get the sun. It’s 5ft tall with 18” leaves. (Pictures #3,4,5)

I want to thank you for making me go look at the plants because the smaller one looks to be infested with tiny bugs. Probably wouldn’t have seen them for awhile if I didn’t go out and snoop around better. 
 

Both seem to be happy and have grown leaps and bounds in 1yr. Last picture was taken Aug 2023 before I planted the one in my front yard  

-dale 
 

These clearly benefit from getting into the ground.  Looking good Dale!

[Darold Petty]

Dale, you have too much grass !   

[Billeb]

1 hour ago, Darold Petty said:

Dale, you have too much grass !   

Sore subject Darold. I recently got spanked for cutting into the backyard grass to make a 9ft circle planter. I literally gave her the old ..….. “have you ever heard it’s easier to ask for forgiveness, than permission?” 

She didn’t find the comedy in the statement. 
 

To add to your observation…..I’m aware. I’m playing the long game. 
 

-dale 

[iDesign]

Any more of these beauties still around? I saw one at the Oeur Garden tour, and was tempted at the auction (but had already blown that day's plant budget). I think about it sometimes, so of course that means I should have fought for it. 😅

[Billeb]

Was looking at my largest Balansae today and noticed it was trying to produce seeds. I would assume they will not be viable but good to see it trying. Pretty sure it’s 2yrs from a tiny strap leaf. 
 

-dale 

 

 

[Tracy]

On 4/7/2025 at 11:56 PM, Billeb said:

Was looking at my largest Balansae today and noticed it was trying to produce seeds. I would assume they will not be viable but good to see it trying. Pretty sure it’s 2yrs from a tiny strap leaf. 
 

-dale 

 

 

Running behind despite these being the same seed batch.  You have clearly demonstrated the benefits of getting them in ground without delay. 

[Peter]

Here are mine this morning: 

[Tracy]

Last night I cut down a Caryota acquired as no, but was probably a urens.   It was too large for the space and about to get too tall for me to remove myself.   The new real estate was already committed to planting one of the Meryta balansae I got from Matt a couple of years back.  It had roots outside the small pot it was in.  Here is the initial result.   I staked it on two sides while it gets established.   My wife likes it being in a prominent position along the walkway to the entrance to our home. 

[Billeb]

4 hours ago, Tracy said:

Last night I cut down a Caryota acquired as no, but was probably a urens.   It was too large for the space and about to get too tall for me to remove myself.   The new real estate was already committed to planting one of the Meryta balansae I got from Matt a couple of years back.  It had roots outside the small pot it was in.  Here is the initial result.   I staked it on two sides while it gets established.   My wife likes it being in a prominent position along the walkway to the entrance to our home. 

Tracy, here’s a picture of mine in the backyard from the same batch as yours. It started tilting toward the light and I attempted to tie it up straight but ended up saying “oh well”. It’s grown very well. Front yard plant is equally as large. 
 

-dale 

[quaman58]

These are great plants. Got one from Matt years ago & it’s way overhead and been flowering for at least 5 years. I honestly don’t know whether it’s male or female. I’d love to get another couple in the ground, it’s not like they take up much space.. 

[Aloha Palms]

These are 2 out of the 4 I got from Matt. They are all flowering and about 6’ tall. Not sure if I’ve got males or females yet.

[Tracy]

16 hours ago, Aloha Palms said:

These are 2 out of the 4 I got from Matt. They are all flowering and about 6’ tall. Not sure if I’ve got males or females yet.

There is definitely a benefit to getting them out of pots and into the ground.  Mine are all from this same seed batch from Matt as well.  Christmas Eve I walked by the one that inspired my interest in my neighborhood.   This was before I saw Matt's or Len's specimens.  

It is pretty heavily shaded facing north with the jungle to its south and overhead. 

[ASHCVS]

 

…please excuse the screenshot from my second floor window.

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, ASHCVS said:

 

…please excuse the screenshot from my second floor window.

You must have got yours from one of the earliest seed batches to arrive in the States.  Is that male or female?

[Billeb]

On 12/27/2025 at 9:59 AM, Tracy said:

There is definitely a benefit to getting them out of pots and into the ground.  Mine are all from this same seed batch from Matt as well.  Christmas Eve I walked by the one that inspired my interest in my neighborhood.   This was before I saw Matt's or Len's specimens.  

It is pretty heavily shaded facing north with the jungle to its south and overhead. 

For sure. These go crazy when grounded. Or mine did anyway. 
 

23 hours ago, Tracy said:

You must have got yours from one of the earliest seed batches to arrive in the States.  Is that male or female?

Here’s both of mine in different parts of the yard. Both have flowered before also. I need to look into identifying sex of these. Haven’t bothered.
 

one thing to note, they both split after flowering also so they are doing that multi head thing now. Not sure if this is normal. 
 

-dale 

 

[Aloha Palms]

I pollinated mine in the rain yesterday since everything was opened up.

[QUINNPALMS]

I’m looking for a mate for mine if anyone has one available.

[Aloha Palms]

@QUINNPALMS Are you just looking for pollen or a male plant to put in your garden?

[Darold Petty]

I would like to purchase a small plant, I will be in San Diego county next April,  thanks. 

[Aloha Palms]

@Darold Petty Sounds good, Darold. Hopefully I will have some seedlings for you to choose from but if not, I can sell you one of my larger specimens that is in the ground.

[QUINNPALMS]

Ideally I would like a male plant! (Confirming mine is a female)