Ceratozamia fuscoviridis ???

[Tracy]

I bought this and it was labeled Ceratozamia fuscoviridis.  The foliage was very juvenile if not infantile when I bought it.  This flush looks more like my Ceratozamia latifolia.  First is the flushing plant labeled as C fuscoviridis, followed by my two C latifolia.

Any one growing a confirmed C fuscoviridis who can shed some light on the id?

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

This thread will probably require the help of Tom @cycadjungle

[LJG]

Looks right. It’s closely related to Mexicana. If you google C. ‘Molango’ you will find more info as that’s what it use to be called. 

[Tracy]

On 8/10/2018, 12:06:37, LJG said:

Looks right. It’s closely related to Mexicana. If you google C. ‘Molango’ you will find more info as that’s what it use to be called. 

I did look up Ceratozamia fuscovirdis description on Cycad.org, and was reading about the leaflets which shouldn't be as wide: "

Leaflets alternate or opposite, sessile, with slightly decurrent bases at point of attachment, from thirty to forty pairs, eight to ten inches long, two-thirds of an inch wide in the central portion, where the margin are slightly raised, entire, fuscous on the under side, dull green on the upper side, subfalcate, tapering to a sharp point, which is slightly

reflexed, nerved with eighteen to twenty obscure nerves."

While mine is still young, it appears to be much wider like my C. latifolia, drastically different than my C mexicana or C pacifica which have the narrower leaflets (fuscovirids flushing and mature latifolia pictured).

[Tracy]

Sounds like the description of the leaflet should be narrower for C fuscavirdis closer to C mexicana and C pacifica pictured below.

[Geoff]

shots of Loran's old plant (assuming it's now somewhere in the Huntington?)

[Tracy]

5 hours ago, Geoff said:

 

shots of Loran's old plant

 

Thank you for sharing those photos Geoff!  Unless my little plant starts putting out a bit narrower leaflets and a lot more leaflets per leaf as it grow, it appears to me that mine is not the same as Loran's.  I like it all the same, it will just be nice to know what it really is.  Patience is the name of the game and see if it continues to morph over time.

I have only been to the Huntington once since Loran's collection was moved and not everything had been planted according to the staff I spoke to at the time.  I wonder if there is or ever will be a guide to his collection and where the plants were integrated into the gardens.  It was such a great donation!  I was lucky enough to get to that last Palm Society meeting held at his home before he passed.  Such an inspiration it was!

[Tracy]

I see more of the characteristics of my C latifolia (third photo down) in this plant I aquired as C fuscovirdis than with the plant of Loran's.  The latifolia does flush a more red hue than chocolate, but that could be due to different light, nutrition or some other factor.  The purported C fuscovirdis is hardening off, so the leaflets are close to fully mature in size for this flush.