Another striking reddish leaf on Archontophoenix

[Walter John]

I'll let the photos tell the story...This most definitely occurs more when grown in shade conditions.

[Pedro 65]

Wal, the few large Archontophoenix here in our gardens that open with that colour are in a lot of sun, they are also all Archontophoenix tuckerii which came from Marias Palmatum. It was Maria that taught many palm enthusiasts years ago about A Tuckeri opening with a reddish new leaf. Pete

[realarch]

Gotta love it. Mine used to come out a beautiful reddish bronze color.......until I cut the palm down. It was in full blazing sun.

[KrisKupsch]

Bangalows will do it too.

[Walter John]

Mine are alex clumps or maybe alabangs, I dug them up from previous garden as they grew from fallen seed of nearby palms which included Alex and Alabang. I saw an Alex do this in Rocky too, I'm just happy it's happening a lot with this clump, it does look better in real life, the photo does not do it justice. They do get full sun at different times of the day and different times of the year by the way.

[John Case]

They look great to me, Wal......thanks for sharing.

[brodklop]

I noticed they tended to do it more when opening up in winter time.

[Dave-Vero]

In my yard, one A. tuckeri always has brown new leaves--once, I panicked and thought the leaf had died. The other one has green leaves. Very odd, considering they were purchased from the same grower at the same time and are likely siblings. By the way, the brown-leafing one is thriving; it's putting out its second inflorescence, while the other is just as tall but isn't flowering yet.

[Peter Pacific]

Wal, I have a couple of alex's in shade and a purpurea in pretty much full sun. They're beautiful but not very fast. I've always read that they're pretty fast growers, how are yours?

Peter

[stygiana]

Is the reddish new leaf limited to A. tuckeri? I already saw a few Archonthophœnix with reddish-brown new leaves, but believed it was simply a visual "plus" some specimens had, and I actually thought they were, apart from that, simply A. alexandrae...

[Walter John]

Wal, I have a couple of alex's in shade and a purpurea in pretty much full sun. They're beautiful but not very fast. I've always read that they're pretty fast growers, how are yours?

Peter

My purpureas are slow, whilst alex are moderate growers

Is the reddish new leaf limited to A. tuckeri?

Definitely not. I've had the reddish/brown new leaf on Alexandrae and Cunninghamiana.

[Pedro 65]

Wal, I have a couple of alex's in shade and a purpurea in pretty much full sun. They're beautiful but not very fast. I've always read that they're pretty fast growers, how are yours?

Peter

My purpureas are slow, whilst alex are moderate growers

Is the reddish new leaf limited to A. tuckeri?

Definitely not. I've had the reddish/brown new leaf on Alexandrae and Cunninghamiana.

A Tuckeri are very renowned for the new leaf opening pink, red brown "everytime" not just now and again like many other Archontophoenix

[Walter John]

A Tuckeri are very renowned for the new leaf opening pink, red brown "everytime" not just now and again like many other Archontophoenix

Everytime ?, I grew tuckeri at my old place, never noticed this, maybe it was not a tuckeri, hopefully the 4 I have growing now will show this trait.

[KrisKupsch]

I have tuckeri from several places on CYP and they dont have reddish new leaves. I have a photo of a wild maxima with a red new leaf.

[Pedro 65]

I have tuckeri from several places on CYP and they dont have reddish new leaves. I have a photo of a wild maxima with a red new leaf.

Kris not ALL Tuckeri have new pink red leaves, BUT tuckeri that do open with a new pink red leaf will do this EVERYTIME, from young to adults , in shade or sun.

[Mr Cycad]

_{This is also a pretty common occurrence in the Daintree. I never really thought much about it. Thinking about it now, I’ve seen a lot of it in specimens in waterlogged soil display these characterises. I also noted a few like this growing right on the edge of the water hazards last week at Yorkeys Knob Golf Course (Half Moon Bay). Maybe that has something to do with it? Or maybe it’s just completely random, just like most things in nature. Great photo documentation, Wal.}

[realarch]

Of the 6 alex's in my yard only one had the bronze new leaf, so evidently it's a random thing.

They are considered invasive here on the Hilo side so who knows if they came up randomly from

birds dropping seed or if it was planted. They all are in full sun and of course lots of water.

I've got three left in the yard and the others, for various reasons, are at the green dump.

Here is a pic from a few years back of my only bronze new leaf alex. Really striking.