2 Metroxylon

[doranakandawatta]

In Singapore Botanic garden, I liked these 2 species

Do you grow these palms too? pics?

If I find seeds, can we grow it in Sri Lanka?

[Jason in Orlando]

I have grown Metroxylon sagu and vitiense from seed a couple of times. I find them generally easy to germinate; vitiense a little easier than sagu. They do not like to dry out as seedlings, especially the vitiense. They cannot survive in Central Florida for the long term, but I see no reason why you could not grow them in Sri Lanka.

One of my favorite genera...

Jason

[Cindy Adair]

Lovely photos!

My avatar shows a glimpse of my M. salomonense. It's really hard to photograph due to its location, but is a wonderful palm. The spine like projections are softer than they look too. I'm afraid it will bloom and die before too long, but if so, I'll certainly collect the seed.

I'd love to have a. M. amicarum that might live longer but haven't found a source yet.

[sarasota alex]

Thanks for the photos! Love this genus.

Jason, how cold did it get before you lost them?

[Jason in Orlando]

I didn't have any problems with temps above freezing/no frost, but not watering them (vitiense) for two weeks in the summer while I was away did them in. Not sure what killed the sagus, but they never seemed to do as well for me.

[humangenomaproject]

Why is it so hard to locate seed of this? I've honestly been looking for two years now. Everytime RPS lists it, it says sold out.....if somebody can agree to send the Solomonense, I will send them whatever they want from Costa Rica

[realarch]

Nice photos Philippe.

Cindy, whats the story with your Metroxylon? Obviously it is in PR, was it already there when you acquired the property? It's huge already.

I traded Hawaii Tropical Botanic Garden some wild collected Pritchardia for a M. amicarum that has been seeding in their garden for awhile now.

They are HUGE.

The first pic is right after planting as a one gallon back in November of 2010. The next two pics were taken a few days ago and the last is one of the

monsters in HTBG just north of Hilo. Bob is in the bottom center for scale. This thing is a pretty fast grower too.

[Cindy Adair]

Yes, my one and only Metroxylon was large when we bought the land in PR. The previous owner had gotten some rarer palms and at one time was an IPS member.

As hard as it is to believe, it was several visits before we even saw this palm as it's on a pretty steep slope among breadfruit trees away from main paths. Actually, it took several visits before I could really say I'd walked the 7 acres as we (really my husband) recreated and added to existing paths in the jungle.

You can imagine my delight when I encountered this palm which was prior to finding IPS/Palmtalk and succumbing to Palm Obsession. Happily the former owner was able to supply the name, but I haven't tried to pin down the year it was planted.

I both dread and look forward to seed production!

[doranakandawatta]

OH LA LA !!!!

A DREAM !

7 acres of lovely garden with Metroxylon!

Thank you Cindy for showing these photos, now I look forward to finding seeds (where?) and try them in Doranakanda garden!

Some more pics of you palm-obssession?

[Kim]

Tim's fourth photo shows exactly where I fell in love with this palm at Hawaii Tropical Botanic Garden. I had never seen anything like it before, and I was completely smitten. Cindy, I can imagine how you felt when you first discovered yours! They are hard to find, but now there is one growing at the very back corner of my property. It belongs to Bo and I think he got it at a Hawaii Island Palm Society meeting -- could it be one you germinated, Tim? It's doing super well after growing out of some slight fungal spotting. I was surprised to learn the new leaf comes out a pinkish color.

[Dr. George]

Well, my first was at the Hilo zoo in 2008...

Tracked down a seedling that was immediately planted out, but, alas, was too young to have set out on the Kona side. Took me a year to find a replacement, then we let that mature in the nursery for a year before planting out. Here it is last Spring. Have a back up in the nursery, just in case.

gmp

[Cindy Adair]

I saw that very palm at the Hawaii Botanical Garden before I'd ever been to the island of PR and before I'd ever planted any kind of palm. I know I have a photo somewhere!

I remember playing hooky from a meeting on the Kona side (my husband took notes for me) while I drove from the Kona side to be there when they opened.

I admit to taking a few seeds from a huge rain tree that yielded seedlings in Virginia. One of those seedlings is on our PR farm now. The lovely white Bat flowers that I remember led to my collection of 6 in PR.

I'll have to hunt up those photos as I'm sure I have that Metroxylon that apparently inspired several of us!

So I guess " cutting class" was worth it this time. I just couldn't see freezing another day in a meeting room in Hawaii!

[realarch]

Kim, Sean Callahan gave me just one plant that he had germinated off one of their mother plants. HTBG must have a greenhouse full of these things.

I know mine will probably eat my yard and eventually the house too, but if it gets anything near as big as the one in the garden, it will be worth it.

Here are a few shots of the fruit.

[bikoro child]

And after a while here is what happens

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[realarch]

Ivan, luckily mine are M. amicarum, the only one that doesn't die after flowering.

[Walter John]

Metrox Rocks!!

[Cindy Adair]

We need to talk HTBG into selling or trading or donating some seeds of M. amicarum for a future Palmtalk fundraiser ???

[realarch]

Cindy, Sean, the garden director is a great guy and would probably be up for doing something along those lines.

[Cindy Adair]

Cindy, Sean, the garden director is a great guy and would probably be up for doing something along those lines.

Can't wait!

[humangenomaproject]

I just posted my villa for rent on another recent Costa Rica post specifically to get Solomonense seed (bring me seed, stay at a cool place). It rents for about a grand for a week in the high season (I'd have to insist on offering it in either the mid or low season as I'm already quite booked up for high season and don't want huge opportunity costs with a seed transaction and would need enough fresh seed to ensure viability). If it helps get me this seed and gives PT some dough in the coffers then everybody wins........