Basselinia gracilis

[realarch]

I'm really starting to enjoy these little palms more and more as they get older. They were planted as 1 gal. plants a bit over 4 years ago and

for the last couple of years remained rather insignificant. Now they are starting to show a lot of color and gaining some height for being a

diminutive palm. Partial to mostly shade all day, lots of moisture and humidity, and good drainage. Here are a couple of photos.

[Jeff Searle]

Very nice, I wish we could grow them here.

[Daryl]

Tim, I think these are great little palms, but they sure seem to like water...not a problem where you are, but they do struggle here in dry times. Here is a great looking one in Kieran's garden...I wish mine would get to this size and look so healthy!

Datyl

[LJG]

Great plant. Wish mine would look like that.

[Alberto]

I remember Carlo Morici telling me that Basselinia gracilis from peak of mount Panie (highest altitude form) are the most stunning little palms there are with red stripes along the petioles (?) .....

[realarch]

Jeff, is it temperature or soil or both?

Daryl, those crown shafts are showing a heck of a lot more color than mine. Nice!

Len, I thought these made a go if it in SoCal. I remember seeing one of Bills awhile back that looked pretty good.

Alberto, no red stripe on the petiole. Could be another species.

[Daryl]

Tim, there are many different forms of this plant, aside from the ones they split back into B.eriostachys. The colours do vary between them. My sole surviving plant at home has the same colouration as yours...an orange crownshaft with black speckles. I have another form that has a black crownshaft and more leathery leaves, but still only young. The photo above is different again.

Here is another one that was growing in Sydney botanical Gardens...this has the red crownshaft and black stem.

Daryl

[Pedro 65]

Tim, Basselinia colour certainly does var....from what I have and seen in Oz, the Darker the area of the gardens its growing, the better the colour, too much sun in Oz and they look a little bleached and lack good colour, your is less colour maybe because it grows much faster ? , they still look very choice Tim.. These 2 pics are taken in the rain which shows its real colour but they its growing in deep shade.

Your and mine are Both B Eriostachys..Pete

[Alberto]

I have some questions

Who has germinated the high altitude form? Are they "true to form" ??? Are the different forms of B. gracilis related to the different growing conditions at different altitudes or are this differences genetic related?

Are there differences in cold hardiness of the different ecotypes?

[Alberto]

This week I received my book The Palms of New Caledonia" .............and I´m nuts........I need a Basselinia gracilis high altitude form!!!

http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/pix/BasGra.shtml

[richnorm]

Alberto, I found gracilis a nightmare from seed, we tortured each other for several years. I have eriostachys doing quite well in the ground and they produce seed here.

[Alberto]

According my new book,is B. eriostachys not one not accepted names of B. gracilis ?

I have seedlings of B. moorei and B. tomentosa. Where can I obtain seeds of B. eriostachys? Swap?

How cold hardy is B.eriostachys?

[Alberto]

This what RPS says about B.eriostachys:

Basselinia eriostachys

A elegant, small, slender, clustering palm that is relatively common in New Caledonia and that has long been regarded as a form of B. gracilis. Recent DNA work has shown, however, that it would better be regarded as a species in its own right. In cultivation it is a rewarding and relatively easy to grow palm for the tropical and warm temperate garden.

[Cindy Adair]

According to my inventory, I still have one each of B. pancheri, B. gracilis and B. eriostachys (fine leaf). It will take awhile to sort my recent photos and transcribe from my "voice memos" to see if I have any new decent pictures. If I do I'll add them to this thread later.

I'm pretty sure these 3 all came from Jeff Marcus.

I've never tried these from seed so no help there.

[Alberto]

Reading and learning...........

http://nzpalmandcycad.com/?pg=96