How to make a palm "cute"

[JT in Japan]

I found and bought a new genus today, a couple of Dypsis Lutescens. For me, it was a great find; I immediately potted them into something larger, and look forward 10 years from now when they're in the ground and 3 meters high. But as I continue to think about palms as a business in Japan, I began to wonder if this is how palms have to be marketed to sell. There's a lot going against large, lush palms in the land of rabbit hutch housing and no personal green space to speak of.

It's kind of hard to tell how big they are, with nothing for scale, but these mugs not much bigger than a cappuccino cup. Price was 500yen, or about 5 bucks. The mug and spoon could easily cost that much in a different store.

Hmmm. No, I'm thinking, I don't want to miniaturize palms. Go big, or go home!

JT

[plantpirate]

Palm looks good but the tittle is a little off inever heard such a thing

[Stevetoad]

That doesn't look like dypsis. It looks like c.macrocarpa. Cool idea too

[aztropic]

That doesn't look like dypsis. It looks like c.macrocarpa. Cool idea too

Definitely not Dypsis lutescens. Looks like Areca catechu to me. (Betelnut)

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[dalmatiansoap]

That doesn't look like dypsis. It looks like c.macrocarpa. Cool idea too

Definitely not Dypsis lutescens. Looks like Areca catechu to me. (Betelnut)

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

x2

[Xenon]

So kawaii

[Cedric]

Wot Aztropic said Areca probably catechu, D Lutescens has a faily tiny seed compared. Often sold around these parts three seedlings and up in a tiny pot. Make convieniant seedlings for the garden and fast growing with plenty of water and deep rich soil.

[Alberto]

The big seed looks like a Chambeyronia macrocarpa.

[Kim]

About marketing -- there was a woman who posted photos here of many palm seeds sprouted in unusual clear glass containers. One would assume the palm sprouts would never make it to maturity, but they were very beautiful "arrangements" in containers, for however long they might have lasted.

[JT in Japan]

Thanks for the palm ID, all. They've sold it as C. Lutescens, alongside the Japanese name Areca yashi ("yashi" being "palm"). Here's a link if you read Japanese: http://yasashi.info/a_00039g.htm. This crowd is the best teacher, ever!

:-)

JT

[JT in Japan]

About marketing -- there was a woman who posted photos here of many palm seeds sprouted in unusual clear glass containers. One would assume the palm sprouts would never make it to maturity, but they were very beautiful "arrangements" in containers, for however long they might have lasted.

Thanks Kim. I guess if you set your mind to it, as a nursery, you could dedicate a table of sprouts or seeds to this type of product. The company that produced these mugs and palms does the same thing to any number of plants, making them all impossibly cute and , like you say, likely short-lived. I may try to contact them to see if they would sell just the sprouted seed, forget the mug. Just to see if the seed could develop into a mature plant.

JT

[JT in Japan]

So kawaii

Somebody's been to Japan, ;-)