Saribus rotundifolius (Livistona) with stunning black trunks

[Eric in Orlando]

I came across these Saribus rotundifolius yesterday in Palm Beach Gardens. They are planted in a shopping plaza (Trader Joe's) along PGA Blvd. I have never seen Saribus rotundifolius with such black trunks. A few years ago they planted Saribus rotundifolius in medians just to the north in Jupiter along Military Trail and those have brown trunks. This is a great palm for SoFL, it should be used more. These will look absolutely incredible when they get the bright red fruit with those black trunks. 

[Eric in Orlando]

[Eric in Orlando]

[Eric in Orlando]

[Eric in Orlando]

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

They look great!

[kurt decker]

That is a very impressive planting. I have always considered that palm to be sort of an evolutionary link on the way to licuala

[Stethoscope]

Fantastic trunk. How many other palms have palm trunks that dark? 

[doranakandawatta]

55 minutes ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

They look great!

yes! they do!

[smithgn]

Stunning. I envy the landscape planners that have so many options. No way any shopping down there plants maples or deciduous oaks. 

[SouthSeaNate]

Beautiful palms

[Eric in Orlando]

Ive seen a few others planted around in Jupiter. Hopefully they are filtering out into landscapes.

[dmc]

Really nice planting thanks for sharing 

[topwater]

Wow!  The leaf scars look so cool on the black trunk, especially for a palmate tree. 

Edited November 26, 2016 by topwater

[Palmaceae]

Really nice palms, that is one I do not have, yet!

[Josh-O]

do they normally boast blackish trunks like the one posted in Eric's pictures?

[knell]

they almost look lacquered! fantastic!

[Ben in Norcal]

Brought back from seeds of these from Hawaii. They have no chance here, but what the heck.

[Josh-O]

1 hour ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Brought back from seeds of these from Hawaii. They have no chance here, but what the heck.

I'm growing them successfully at the nursery. I think they don't like the wet cold in duration though?

[RedRabbit]

Thanks for sharing Eric, I've seen a few at GSK and really liked them. I'd try them here if I thought there was much chance of success, but I understand they're not too tolerant of the cold... Glad to see them used as a landscape palm in S. FL. 

[Eric in Orlando]

They can tolerate some cold but are frost sensitive. I would grow them under tree canopy here in central FL. If you can find Livistona robinsoniana which is now lumped into Saribus rotundifolius it seems to be a bit hardier. 

[Ben in Norcal]

2 hours ago, Eric in Orlando said:

They can tolerate some cold but are frost sensitive. I would grow them under tree canopy here in central FL. If you can find Livistona robinsoniana which is now lumped into Saribus rotundifolius it seems to be a bit hardier. 

That's interesting to know, Eric, thanks.  If my seeds germinate maybe I'll grow one or two out for trial here at some stage.

[Josh-O]

13 hours ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Brought back from seeds of these from Hawaii. They have no chance here, but what the heck.

you could be the first.

[Ben in Norcal]

Just now, Josh-O said:

you could be the first.

Always my motto - my yard is filled with stuff that doesn't grow here.

[Josh-O]

2 minutes ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Always my motto - my yard is filled with stuff that doesn't grow here.

I dig it bro!!!

[Eric in Orlando]

After the cold winter of 2009-10 (at Leu Gardens) Saribus rotundifolius suffered severe foliage burn but recovered. I have since planted out several more S. rotundifolius.

We also have 2 other specimens that are now lumped into S. rotudifolius; Livistona rotundifolia var. luzonensis and L. robinsoniana. Both only had moderate burn. 

There is a house near downtown Orlando that has a S. rotundifolius planted out and it survived 2009-10 with severe foliage burn but grew back fine.

[Dave-Vero]

I don't quite think they'd be good replacements for the deceased Washingtonias at the local beach park, but Sabal palmetto and Livistonas would be good.  

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is the one near downtown Orlando, I drove by it yesterday.

[Cedric]

Just bumping this up. This to me is the blackest trunked palm out there. I first saw Saribus rotundifolius with black trunks in a beautiful little park (botanical gardens) and coffee shop outside a shopping mall complex in some suburb of Bangkok. I was utterly taken with them. It had just rained and the trunks were gleaming black, utterly unforgettable. Of course I took loads of seed, shopping bags full some were already germinating with the first spike. 

I also has these palms growing at my hotel pool area, they weren't quite as tall or robust as the ones in the park which were getting rain forest conditions, they even had misters going on supposedly to keep us cool and wet (lol). The ones at hotel were slender more mature shorter but unmistakably S. rotundifolius. Thing is they weren't black at all, normal sort of grey brown palm trunk colour. I started noticing S. rotundifolius all over the place as it's a very popular and common ornamental in this region. No others had the same black trunks.

You always read in descriptions of this species that it's very "variable", maybe this includes the colour of the trunk. Anyway it comes from quite a vast area of SEA so there are possibly vicarients of Saribus rotundifolius, not sure.

I've just bought three from a local plant shop (they're grown by the zillions for pot-plants to export) to grow in a clump but of course I cant know if they're going to have black trunks at any stage. The seed I collected went "rotten" on the balcony of my hotel, I didn't have time to clean it so the bags became a stinking mess so I just took a few and cleaned them before I left the rest in the tip. Those few lived in the bottom of my hand luggage for about six years before they were planted. No luck so far.

So IMO at least not all are black trunked. In photos on the net this is also true, most appear normal though one pictured which I haven't seen in person at Nong Nooch is also black and here on this thread of course.........someone was selling seed for "the black palm" but I never found out if it's  S. rotundifolius. I will ask next time. I keep meaning to ask as I see them quite frequently. Not sure what's up with this. Anyone know? Is it just age related? Do they all start off black trunked.......

 

[sonoranfans]

Gorgeous and rare palm.  Very nice landscaping choice, a great change from the more common palms used in public plantings.  Too bad no one sells it as a seedling or young palm, just seeds.  At my age, I have zero interest in seeds.  Seems like even in the for sale section on palmtalk its all seeds, no thanks.   I didnt retire to florida to plant seeds and wait ten years for a juvenile palm.

[Cedric]

10 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

I didnt retire to florida to plant seeds and wait ten years for a juvenile palm.

That truly surprises me. I thought they would be sold world wide as ornamentals. They're exported by the thousands at auction in Aalsmeer The Netherlands, grown mostly in places like Thailand. They're a very common house plant in Europe, have been for decades and decades because the juvenile leaves are stunning, everything before trunk size looks more like Kerirodoxa than Kerriodoxa.   

Yes a little palm all strong and brave would be ideal for you as it is instantly so utterly charming.  Take heart, though it's also one of the fastest growing palms on the planet with ideal conditions. Trunking in under three years and quite a load of trunking. Ideal conditions would be swampy wet with drainage. 

So if you could get one even as a pot-plant you will be very happy. With restricted root growth light etc they stay decent for a long time in pots, the leaves get huge. Find out who imports cut flowers from the Netherlands their buyer could buy in a batch. In fact florists often sell them in the EU as they pretty up the shop window and are irresistible (thorns included).

 

[Fusca]

43 minutes ago, Cedric said:

That truly surprises me. I thought they would be sold world wide as ornamentals. They're exported by the thousands at auction in Aalsmeer The Netherlands, grown mostly in places like Thailand. They're a very common house plant in Europe, have been for decades and decades because the juvenile leaves are stunning, everything before trunk size looks more like Kerirodoxa than Kerriodoxa.   

Yes a little palm all strong and brave would be ideal for you as it is instantly so utterly charming.  Take heart, though it's also one of the fastest growing palms on the planet with ideal conditions. Trunking in under three years and quite a load of trunking. Ideal conditions would be swampy wet with drainage. 

So if you could get one even as a pot-plant you will be very happy. With restricted root growth light etc they stay decent for a long time in pots, the leaves get huge. Find out who imports cut flowers from the Netherlands their buyer could buy in a batch. In fact florists often sell them in the EU as they pretty up the shop window and are irresistible (thorns included).

I had always read that they were fast growers so when I recently purchased some 2 1/2 year old plants sight unseen I was surprised that they were still 3-4 strap-leaf seedlings nowhere near trunking let alone ready to put in the ground!  Obviously not grown in ideal conditions for them.  I'll have to remember to water them more often!

[Silas_Sancona]

A few pictures of the specimens in Kopsick's collection. St. Petersburg FL.  July and December 2014 ( pics # 1 & 2 ), and Feb. 2016 ( Last pic )

[Cedric]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

I had always read that they were fast growers so when I recently purchased some 2 1/2 year old plants sight unseen I was surprised that they were still 3-4 strap-leaf seedlings nowhere near trunking let alone ready to put in the ground!  Obviously not grown in ideal conditions for them.  I'll have to remember to water them more often!

I think you might have been taken for a ride around the block. Are you sure they're Saribus rotundifolius and not Washingtonia robusta or something, any loose threads? They generaly look like fully formed little bright green shiny palm trees almost immiediately which is why they're so popular to produce and sell as pot-plants in Asia and the EU. The strap leaves shouldn't last for much longer than a few months before you're seeing "mature" leaves. That or they meant months not years..........

It is a bit confusing as S. rotundifolius has been through many many name changes, it' still sold as a Livistona in the trade in the EU, often just labelled "Livistona" as mine were and nothing else.  So unless you can recognise it it's quite difficult knowing what it is you're getting exactly. Not so here no matter what they call it as it's popularity is such most know what it looks like. The one pictured still has one juvenile leaf, the whole thing is no more than seven or eight inches inches high, fully armed with thorns. Basicaly it looks like a bonsai palm.

Yep they love lots of water warmth and humidity, rich soil and bright shade so maybe your seedling will transform with a bit of the good stuff.  

Edited May 25, 2020 by Cedric

[Cedric]

14 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

I didnt retire to florida to plant seeds and wait ten years for a juvenile palm.

At the unintended risk of sounding judgmental I have to say I personally find planting for the next generation a very important and rewarding thing to do. Some things are just painfully slow but utterly magnificent, someone has to.  A gift to the planet if no one else. Not these, though. "Morning Dew Nursery" in Florida purports to sell them all ready,.  A whole field of them by the looks of it.......worth a try finding out who is retailing if they're still importing them. 

http://www.morningdewtropical.com/wholesale-plants/?search-term=Pal&per_page=24&page=4

[Cedric]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Beautiful thanks. I forgot the wonderful weaving around the leaf bases, this gets more and more immaculate as they mature. In fact when these palms are quite mature they look like they have a crown shaft too. Very neat and tidy. It's not technically a real crown shaft (I don't think) but the flattened exposed lower leaf bases form a smooth lovely shiny orange crown shaft. When I first saw one I was intrigued I couldn't think of a "Livistona" that ever had one. Was the first thing that attracted me to them. Self cleaning by this stage, the crown also eventually becomes wider than tall.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Cedric

[sonoranfans]

Cedric I am fine with leaving the next generation proliferation to the professional nursery men in my area, the people who do this for a living and are better at it than I.  I will support their efforts as a customer as I believe they are easily the best source of future palm species availability for the next generation.  Also, the efforts at botanical gardens within a few hours: Leu, Kopsick, and Fairchild are going do anything I can do in this area and much more but 100x better.  I will check the link you provided, thanks!  Its a 10a palm so I have to consider the spot.  I also like livistona jenkinsiana, a beautiful palm tha might not be cold tolerant enough for my yard.  I have 4 other livistona species which are trunking in my yard(saribus, chinensis, mariae, and decora).  

[howfam]

Good topic. I really love this palm, and I think it has a lot of potential to replace Washingtonia robusta as the prevalent fan palm for south florida. It grows about as tall and is stunningly beautiful when it bears its red fruits./ howfam  

[Fusca]

12 hours ago, Cedric said:

I think you might have been taken for a ride around the block. Are you sure they're Saribus rotundifolius and not Washingtonia robusta or something, any loose threads? They generaly look like fully formed little bright green shiny palm trees almost immiediately which is why they're so popular to produce and sell as pot-plants in Asia and the EU. The strap leaves shouldn't last for much longer than a few months before you're seeing "mature" leaves. That or they meant months not years..........

It is a bit confusing as S. rotundifolius has been through many many name changes, it' still sold as a Livistona in the trade in the EU, often just labelled "Livistona" as mine were and nothing else.  So unless you can recognise it it's quite difficult knowing what it is you're getting exactly. Not so here no matter what they call it as it's popularity is such most know what it looks like. 

At the strap-leaf stage it's hard to say what it is for sure but definitely not Washingtonia.  Came from a trusted source germinated in August 2017.  Can't speak for the seed source though.  

 

[Cedric]

14 hours ago, Fusca said:

At the strap-leaf stage it's hard to say what it is for sure but definitely not Washingtonia.  Came from a trusted source germinated in August 2017.  Can't speak for the seed source though.  

 

 

Wow. I couldn't say either but that thig has stalled if it's Saribus rotundifolius. Maybe repot in some nice rich soil and keep it moist.  Same time examine the roots. Shouldn't be that small. LOL has it got drainage in that pot!