Different forms of Needle palm

[teddytn]

I remember seeing pictures of needle palms with a vertical solitary trunk and no lower fronds a long time ago. People were calling it a Bull needle. I’ve always been familiar with the “normal” clumping form which seems to grow wider with offsets as fast as it grows tall. I have one that’s been slow to grow period and only has a few small pups, but I don’t think is a “bull”. One normal clumping form and a small new clumping form. What’s everyone’s experience with the 2 different types? Let’s see them!!!

[Will Simpson]

I have one that I'm not sure what it is . It looks like a bushy one with off sets but I wonder what it would look like if I pruned down  the offsets . I've been thinking about doing that too . I bet a lot of the bulls are done like that or they are  really  old . 

I've heard of some people digging up the offsets and planting them elsewhere . That would create a " bull " in time .

Edited April 30, 2021 by Will Simpson

[teddytn]

27 minutes ago, Will Simpson said:

I have one that I'm not sure what it is . It looks like a bushy one with off sets but I wonder what it would look like if I pruned down  the offsets . I've been thinking about doing that too . I bet a lot of the bulls are done like that or they are  really  old . 

I've heard of some people digging up the offsets and planting them elsewhere . That would create a " bull " in time .

Yeah that makes sense, they hold fronds forever, it seems like my biggest one has straps leaves still on it from the day I planted it like 8 years ago.

[Jtee]

23 hours ago, teddytn said:

I remember seeing pictures of needle palms with a vertical solitary trunk and no lower fronds a long time ago. People were calling it a Bull needle. I’ve always been familiar with the “normal” clumping form which seems to grow wider with offsets as fast as it grows tall. I have one that’s been slow to grow period and only has a few small pups, but I don’t think is a “bull”. One normal clumping form and a small new clumping form. What’s everyone’s experience with the 2 different types? Let’s see them!!!

I messaged you

[Will Simpson]

My bull is about 7' tall . I've got to blow the leaves off of the trunk so it is more visible . I might take a picture of it after I blow off the trunk in the next couple days , then I can really see how fat the trunk is .

 

 

[teddytn]

4 hours ago, Will Simpson said:

My bull is about 7' tall . I've got to blow the leaves off of the trunk so it is more visible . I might take a picture of it after I blow off the trunk in the next couple days , then I can really see how fat the trunk is .

 

 

Just a few main trunks or just one? 

[teddytn]

Here’s the three I have. That’s the biggest one. Probably has 8 main trunks all 12” high, and 15 small offsets ringing the perimeter. That’s the smallest one looks normal main trunk 3 offsets.The middle size one I have below has only been in the ground 6 years and the biggest one 7 years. The one below only has 2 main trunks and one offset each. Instead of multiplying it seems to just add growth vertical. May be a contender for a bull

[Manalto]

Teddy, the needle in your top photo looks nice and dark and glossy. Do you know the reason? Grown in the shade?

[teddytn]

11 hours ago, Manalto said:

Teddy, the needle in your top photo looks nice and dark and glossy. Do you know the reason? Grown in the shade?

It gets partially shaded by the porch above in the mornings, but gets full afternoon sun. That pic was the north side of the plant may have something to do with it.

[Will Simpson]

14 hours ago, teddytn said:

Just a few main trunks or just one? 

It's just one main trunk , and it really isn't a bull yet . It might look interesting if I prune off the offsets and then that one main trunk would be more visible .

[ky_palm064]

Nice topic!

My oldest needle is bushy with lots of offsets, but my other one is single trunked. When it flowered a few years ago, it looked to be a female. There was a topic a couple of years ago about single trunked needles, which used the term "bull" only for the males.

 

 

[teddytn]

13 minutes ago, ky_palm064 said:

Nice topic!

My oldest needle is bushy with lots of offsets, but my other one is single trunked. When it flowered a few years ago, it looked to be a female. There was a topic a couple of years ago about single trunked needles, which used the term "bull" only for the males.

 

 

Sometimes the simplest answer lol. I never even thought that might be the reason, that would be be cool to get to the bottom of. Nice reply!!!

[Jimhardy]

looks like this thread is back on track but about as clear as mud now.  

[teddytn]

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/44138-single-trunked-rhapidophyllum-hystrix-pictures/

Found the old thread, sorry for all the old heads that have to see repeated topics over and over. In the link above it didn’t seem like anyone got to the bottom of this either. People we’re reporting male and female single trunked specimens.....

[teddytn]

12 minutes ago, Jimhardy said:

looks like this thread is back on track but about as clear as mud now.  

Haha the blind leading the blind here

[Will Simpson]

On 4/30/2021 at 12:57 PM, teddytn said:

I remember seeing pictures of needle palms with a vertical solitary trunk and no lower fronds a long time ago. People were calling it a Bull needle. I’ve always been familiar with the “normal” clumping form which seems to grow wider with offsets as fast as it grows tall. I have one that’s been slow to grow period and only has a few small pups, but I don’t think is a “bull”. One normal clumping form and a small new clumping form. What’s everyone’s experience with the 2 different types? Let’s see them!!!

( Edit : I just noticed that teddytn found this article before me . )

 

This was on this discussion board back in 2014 :

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Will Simpson

[sashaeffer]

It's been a while but I've seen before/after pictures of a trimmed up Needle palm that make it look like it was trunking. Looked really good as well.

 

So in that case, it wasn't a different variation but just trimmed to look that way.

I've done the same with a European fan palm that I have in the ground.

[teddytn]

1 hour ago, sashaeffer said:

It's been a while but I've seen before/after pictures of a trimmed up Needle palm that make it look like it was trunking. Looked really good as well.

 

So in that case, it wasn't a different variation but just trimmed to look that way.

I've done the same with a European fan palm that I have in the ground.

Yeah no I get that, if I trimmed the older leaves it would give that look for sure, but still trying to understand why some produce plentiful offsets and some are solitary. I read something a long time ago about plants in general, that if the environment where the plant is has ideal conditions it will put a lot of energy into reproduction, if the conditions are less than ideal the plant will put all its energy into trying to live indefinitely and not reproduce. Not sure if there is any correlation here.

[teddytn]

This is the one I have that is more solitary 2 main trucks 1 pup per trunk. Just noticed it pushing flowers. Side note everything in the garden is pushing a ton of growth very early in the season. The bigger clumping one has been flowering and producing unviable seed for 4 years I believe. I’ll take pics when it flowers. The inflorescence on the big one always seems underwhelming compared to the pic above. So are we talking male plant, female plant?

[SeanK]

On 5/1/2021 at 2:53 PM, Will Simpson said:

My bull is about 7' tall . I've got to blow the leaves off of the trunk so it is more visible . I might take a picture of it after I blow off the trunk in the next couple days , then I can really see how fat the trunk is .

 

 

Will, Yours looks mostly female to me. About 18 leaflets per leaf. How many offshoots at the base?

[SeanK]

I have seen a picture or two of the so-called "bull". I'd call it that, too. 

I have three phenotypes at home -

1. Mostly Male: Large leader trunk with one or two offsets. Approx. 12 leaflets per leaf. 6-ft tall.

2. Mostly Female: Less dominant leader trunk with 6 to 8 offsets. Approx. 18 leaflets per leaf. 5-ft tall.

3. A short, crawling specimen with multiple heads all the same size. Purchased from Plant Delights over 20 years ago. Approx. 3-ft tall.

I use the term "mostly" as the larger palms will produce alternate flowers about every 5 years or so.

[teddytn]

18 minutes ago, SeanK said:

I have seen a picture or two of the so-called "bull". I'd call it that, too. 

I have three phenotypes at home -

1. Mostly Male: Large leader trunk with one or two offsets. Approx. 12 leaflets per leaf. 6-ft tall.

2. Mostly Female: Less dominant leader trunk with 6 to 8 offsets. Approx. 18 leaflets per leaf. 5-ft tall.

3. A short, crawling specimen with multiple heads all the same size. Purchased from Plant Delights over 20 years ago. Approx. 3-ft tall.

I use the term "mostly" as the larger palms will produce alternate flowers about every 5 years or so.

That’s cool you have 3 different types, can we get a peek please? 2 different types for me, the 3rd needle I’ve got is too young to tell which way it’ll go yet.