Beccariophoenix alfredii- a definite Coconut lookalike

[Cubbie Boy]

Wish I could see a single picture that shows Beccariophoenix alfredii next to Cocos nucifera, so I can compare them better. I'd also love to see a closeup of a Beccariophoenix alfredii fruit, and especially a dissected one. One time I tore apart a fruit from a Queen Palm, and was  amazed at how similar to a coconut it was. It had the same outer shape as a coconut, and the outer layer was extremely fibrous, like a coconut, only with sticky pulp mixed with the fibers. Then the nut inside had three eyes, and it looked like a tiny coconut. I'd be curious to see if the Beccariophoenix alfredii fruit has the same characteristics. 

 

[kinzyjr]

1 hour ago, Cubbie Boy said:

Wish I could see a single picture that shows Beccariophoenix alfredii next to Cocos nucifera, so I can compare them better. I'd also love to see a closeup of a Beccariophoenix alfredii fruit, and especially a dissected one. One time I tore apart a fruit from a Queen Palm, and was  amazed at how similar to a coconut it was. It had the same outer shape as a coconut, and the outer layer was extremely fibrous, like a coconut, only with sticky pulp mixed with the fibers. Then the nut inside had three eyes, and it looked like a tiny coconut. I'd be curious to see if the Beccariophoenix alfredii fruit has the same characteristics.

When I first germinated a queen, I was impressed by how much the germination resembled the germination of a coconut. 

[Zeeth]

7 hours ago, Cubbie Boy said:

Wish I could see a single picture that shows Beccariophoenix alfredii next to Cocos nucifera, so I can compare them better. I'd also love to see a closeup of a Beccariophoenix alfredii fruit, and especially a dissected one. One time I tore apart a fruit from a Queen Palm, and was  amazed at how similar to a coconut it was. It had the same outer shape as a coconut, and the outer layer was extremely fibrous, like a coconut, only with sticky pulp mixed with the fibers. Then the nut inside had three eyes, and it looked like a tiny coconut. I'd be curious to see if the Beccariophoenix alfredii fruit has the same characteristics. 

 

Check out the coconut in the background:

 

The fruit is pretty different from coconut fruit though. It reminds me a lot of nutmeg. 

[GottmitAlex]

28 minutes ago, Zeeth said:

Check out the coconut in the background:

 

The fruit is pretty different from coconut fruit though. It reminds me a lot of nutmeg. 

The fruit of an alfredii? Amazing!

If so, it had to be from habitat. No Alfie seeds outside of Madagascar. Even after all these years.  BTW, how do these "nutmeg"- looking fruit taste like?

Thanks in advance Keith.

Edited October 31, 2018 by GottmitAlex

[Cubbie Boy]

Thanks for the picture of the  Beccariophoenix  with the Cocos.

 

[DKFSpecialties]

Hi,

Can any of the mentioned species handle a Zone 7 winter? I'm not necessarily interested in coconut type fruit - of any size - just a hardy lookalike. 

Thanks, All

[Xerarch]

33 minutes ago, DKFSpecialties said:

Hi,

Can any of the mentioned species handle a Zone 7 winter? I'm not necessarily interested in coconut type fruit - of any size - just a hardy lookalike. 

Thanks, All

The list of palms that would handle USDA zone 7 without protection is very short, and all of them are palmate palms (hand shaped leaf) the most cold tolerant pinnate (feather shaped leaf) palm and coconut relative is the queen palm which needs zone 9.  So it's pretty tough to get a coconut lookalike in Z 7.  Your best bet for a trunking palm would be Trachycarpus fortunei, some non-trunking palms like Sabal minor or Rhapidophyllum hystrix or even more cold hardy.  BTW welcome to the forum

[howfam]

On 4/10/2014 at 6:58 PM, displaced_floridian said:

Does anyone have a trunking specimen of B. Alfredii? I'd like to see a more mature tree. I think the trunk is thinner than the coconut, and not as curvy.

Here are two B. Alfredii starting to trunk as of 1/20/2021 at the University of North Florida here in Jacksonville. They have been in the ground no less than 4 years.

[howfam]

On 4/10/2014 at 6:58 PM, displaced_floridian said:

Does anyone have a trunking specimen of B. Alfredii? I'd like to see a more mature tree. I think the trunk is thinner than the coconut, and not as curvy.

Here are two B. Alfredii starting to trunk as of 1/20/2021 at the University of North Florida here in Jacksonville. They have been in the ground no less than 4 years.

 

BTW, does anyone know where I  can get some good B. alfredii seeds? I purchased some from Rare Palm Seeds.com late 2019 and none sprouted. 

 

[sonoranfans]

Alfredii carry  1/3 more leaves and have a fatter trunk maybe a little less than 2x as thick a a coconut.  they also dont turn yellow in the cool weather.  Here is the trunk of mine a year ago, adirondack chair for scale.  Seeds are not available now as far as I know, none have yet seeded in the US.

[Merlyn]

17 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

Alfredii carry  1/3 more leaves and have a fatter trunk maybe a little less than 2x as thick as a coconut.  they also dont turn yellow in the cool weather.  Here is the trunk of mine a year ago, adirondack chair for scale.  Seeds are not available now as far as I know

<obscenities screamed loud enough for DoomsDave to hear in CA!!!> 

That is a giant trunk.  I've seen the other photos from Searle and all, but the chair really puts that into perspective.  I'm really glad I didn't decide to plant one at the end of my front walkway.  That would have been a colossal mistake, literally!

[sonoranfans]

The trunk is thickening more quickly in recent years, it looks thicker now.  Leaf bases have started to rot off at the ground level.  In a few years it should reach its maximum thickness.  Mine was planted august 2010 as a 3 gallon not fully pinnate palm.  As I have stated in other threads this one was frost burned 90% including the spear 4 months after planting.  Since that time it has shown no sensitivity to cold or frost including 30F advective front for 12 hours in 2018.  These palms are "no fuss", sunloving, drought resistant palms that are worth a little patience to grow big.  Yep Jeffs is older and bigger and so is pete belasky's, perhaps the largest in cultivation in the US.  

[RedRabbit]

23 minutes ago, sonoranfans said:

The trunk is thickening more quickly in recent years, it looks thicker now.  Leaf bases have started to rot off at the ground level.  In a few years it should reach its maximum thickness.  Mine was planted august 2010 as a 3 gallon not fully pinnate palm.  As I have stated in other threads this one was frost burned 90% including the spear 4 months after planting.  Since that time it has shown no sensitivity to cold or frost including 30F advective front for 12 hours in 2018.  These palms are "no fuss", sunloving, drought resistant palms that are worth a little patience to grow big.  Yep Jeffs is older and bigger and so is pete belasky's, perhaps the largest in cultivation in the US.  

Once you start seeing clear trunk I'm thinking it will be a bit thinner than this, no?

[Merlyn]

7 minutes ago, RedRabbit said:

Once you start seeing clear trunk I'm thinking it will be a bit thinner than this, no?

Initially I would say "yes," but then there are photos like this... 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Orlando, FL. Less than 3 years growth. 

[Zeeth]

On 2/1/2021 at 1:28 PM, RedRabbit said:

Once you start seeing clear trunk I'm thinking it will be a bit thinner than this, no?

Pete Balasky's is trunking and it reminds me a lot of my Panama tall coconut. The trunk is pretty beefy, definitely beefier than a Malayan Dwarf or Jamaican tall but it's not CIDP level. 

[EastCanadaTropicals]

On 1/30/2021 at 4:46 PM, DKFSpecialties said:

Hi,

Can any of the mentioned species handle a Zone 7 winter? I'm not necessarily interested in coconut type fruit - of any size - just a hardy lookalike. 

Thanks, All

Nope, sorry. Which zone 7 area are you in? Because Jubaea x Butia might have a chance, In a very protected spot. But don't count on pure butias unprotected.

Edited February 2, 2021 by EastCanadaTropicals

[EastCanadaTropicals]

17 hours ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

Orlando, FL. Less than 3 years growth. 

Nice. You could always try real coconuts in a sheltered spot.

[EastCanadaTropicals]

Am I the only one who thinks that butia x Jubaea is also a bit of a coconut lookalike? I've even seen butia x Jubaea with a curved trunk in one photo online.

[Zeeth]

On 2/1/2021 at 1:36 PM, Merlyn said:

Initially I would say "yes," but then there are photos like this... 

Here's a close-up of the trunk from December.

[waykoolplantz]

just a side note.

 Some years ago a  Lazy Boy 'expert' questioned true id of DrB's palm which was clearly dumb .as seeds were given to him in person by Alfred 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

13 hours ago, EastCanadaTropicals said:

Nice. You could always try real coconuts in a sheltered spot.

Did that almost 6 years ago. I have pics in the Orlando z10 mega thread. BA is definitely hardier for sure. 

[Tropicdoc]

On 2/2/2021 at 5:11 PM, EastCanadaTropicals said:

Am I the only one who thinks that butia x Jubaea is also a bit of a coconut lookalike? I've even seen butia x Jubaea with a curved trunk in one photo online.

I agree. Crown does have similar frond spacing. But color is usually bluish and trunk is stocky.