Dypsis Basilonga vs Saintelucei

[Looking Glass]

I’m thinking about giving Dypsis Basilonga or Dypsis Saintlucei a go here in South Florida.   I’ve got a spot that gets a fair amount of sun, and a grouping of these would be get if they’d take.  

Anyone care to talk me out of it for here?  Or give any pointers or experiences with these?   Any practical info is appreciated.   Do share.   I think they both look amazing, with some similarities.   

I’ve scanned the threads.   If it’s a fools errand, let me know.  Seems like some people are able to get them going down here.   Post your goodies for inspiration.   

 

[Tracy]

On 3/31/2022 at 4:44 PM, Looking Glass said:

I’m thinking about giving Dypsis Basilonga or Dypsis Saintlucei a go here in South Florida.   I’ve got a spot that gets a fair amount of sun, and a grouping of these would be get if they’d take.  

Anyone care to talk me out of it for here?  Or give any pointers or experiences with these?   Any practical info is appreciated.   Do share.   I think they both look amazing, with some similarities.   

I’ve scanned the threads.   If it’s a fools errand, let me know.  Seems like some people are able to get them going down here.   Post your goodies for inspiration.   

 

Giving this a bump and hopefully some of your fellow Floridians will weigh in.  My experience here isn't relevant for overall survival, but perhaps a starting point on sensitivity of each.  Here I can get by with full sun for the Dypsis saintelucei, and having two, one full sun and one filtered, will say the full sun one has done better.  Full sun has a thicker trunk at the base and is slightly ahead of the one in shade in ringed trunk.  The more grey green color of leaflets seems typical of plants that want full sun when compared to the green of Dypsis basilonga.  I don't know if Dypsis basilonga will do well in more sun, as both I have tried have been in filtered light or shade.  One was damaged when still relatively small from something falling on it from above during winter and didn't survive.  The other is thriving but seems more cold sensitive than my saintelucei.  The leaf that it pushed out most recently, during a cold spell has a little bit of brown spotting.  It seems to be racing with some adjacent palms and is getting up into more sun for now, but my neighbor's Howea's are much older and taller so will probably always create some filtering of light.  All these are growing in fast draining sandy soil by the way.

Again a call out to your fellow Floridians for some more zone specific input on these two species.

[Looking Glass]

2 hours ago, Tracy said:

Giving this a bump and hopefully some of your fellow Floridians will weigh in.  My experience here isn't relevant for overall survival, but perhaps a starting point on sensitivity of each.  Here I can get by with full sun for the Dypsis saintelucei, and having two, one full sun and one filtered, will say the full sun one has done better.  Full sun has a thicker trunk at the base and is slightly ahead of the one in shade in ringed trunk.  The more grey green color of leaflets seems typical of plants that want full sun when compared to the green of Dypsis basilonga.  I don't know if Dypsis basilonga will do well in more sun, as both I have tried have been in filtered light or shade.  One was damaged when still relatively small from something falling on it from above during winter and didn't survive.  The other is thriving but seems more cold sensitive than my saintelucei.  The leaf that it pushed out most recently, during a cold spell has a little bit of brown spotting.  It seems to be racing with some adjacent palms and is getting up into more sun for now, but my neighbor's Howea's are much older and taller so will probably always create some filtering of light.  All these are growing in fast draining sandy soil by the way.

Again a call out to your fellow Floridians for some more zone specific input on these two species.

Thanks for the info on on these.  Anything is helpful.   When you look up D. Saintlucei they say it grows in white sand forests (check.. I’ve got sand) in the same place as D lutescens (check.. those are like weeds here) sometimes exposed (got that too).  Then there’s 847 pages about seed diameter, leaflet spacing, etc…. And one sentence about growing them.  

It helps to hear some experience stories about growing stuff…. Even in different environments, as you can sometimes extrapolate a little to your own.  From what I’m hearing so far Basilonga would be more difficult.  I think I’d like to give Saintlucei an honest try.  

Its helps to hear about practical growing information and observations on the species that are a little less common…. “Likes sun/hates sun, likes water/likes dry, good in sand vs clay, grew 10 inches per year on the dry, part-sun corner of my yard in Kalamazoo”, etc….  

Pictures always draw eyeballs too…. But I don’t have any of these, so enjoy some unrelated ones of the yard, for now…..

[Palmarum]

On 3/31/2022 at 7:44 PM, Looking Glass said:

I’m thinking about giving Dypsis Basilonga or Dypsis Saintlucei a go here in South Florida.   I’ve got a spot that gets a fair amount of sun, and a grouping of these would be get if they’d take.  Anyone care to talk me out of it for here?  Or give any pointers or experiences with these?  ...

I figure you mean to plant them versus keeping them in containers...

They have both been tricky in the ground but not impossible. They both need exceptional drainage, especially D. saintelucei. The successes have included a lightly mounded planting location with free-flowing drainage. The soil had been amended with thin, light bark and gravel. They still like it to be acidic, but far from mucky or too sandy. These examples included only a couple years (on average) in the ground at the time, with specimens of both species bearing a few rings of thin trunk. It has been a few years since I have seen them in their respective collections so I have no idea how they are doing now.

Smaller plants of D. saintelucei can handle full sun, D. basilonga looks better with light shade or with some protection from midday sun. Both specimens flourish with drip irrigation or micro-irrigation that keeps the top of the plants dry and only waters the base. As expected, both species do well in large pots. When either of them become root-established in a container, 'woosh' they take off.

Both species are still relatively new to S. Florida collections, although D. saintelucei has been in cultivation a bit longer (it has been floating around with names of different spellings). We are still learning more about them as they both represent 'empty books' of info. I do not know of any attempts that have been tried closer to Broward's coast where you are located and they might prefer that. The majority of the successes I am referring to are in the Keys, where everything is coastal. I would grow both of them as large as possible in containers before trying them in the ground.

Although cost, availability and space are issues, trying multiple samples is better than one, if possible. Any experiment is better with more data.

Ryan

[Matt in OC]

@Looking Glass Wow! So jealous of your heliconias!

[Tracy]

22 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

Pictures always draw eyeballs too

Dypsis basilonga is in a tight spot, so it is difficult to get anything but a portion of it.  Newest frond opened and about half is above the Chambeyronia houailou adjacent to it for now. 

[DoomsDave]

@Looking Glass not sure how much of my California experience is transferable to Florida, but here goes….

I concur that D. saintluciei really needs great fast drainage while basilonga isn’t quite so demanding in that regard. Also saintluciei seems to take the sun a lot better. Mound planting with gravel in the mounds will be better than mounded dirt as being less likely  to wash away and get flat, especially in Florida rains. Saintluciei is a bit drought resistant while basilongas are much thirstier. 

Both are skinny single trunkers on the small side, especially saintluciei. So I’d recommend group planting.

Hope this helps and let us know how it goes.

[Looking Glass]

12 hours ago, Palmarum said:

I figure you mean to plant them versus keeping them in containers...

They have both been tricky in the ground but not impossible. They both need exceptional drainage, especially D. saintelucei. The successes have included a lightly mounded planting location with free-flowing drainage. The soil had been amended with thin, light bark and gravel. They still like it to be acidic, but far from mucky or too sandy. These examples included only a couple years (on average) in the ground at the time, with specimens of both species bearing a few rings of thin trunk. It has been a few years since I have seen them in their respective collections so I have no idea how they are doing now.

Smaller plants of D. saintelucei can handle full sun, D. basilonga looks better with light shade or with some protection from midday sun. Both specimens flourish with drip irrigation or micro-irrigation that keeps the top of the plants dry and only waters the base. As expected, both species do well in large pots. When either of them become root-established in a container, 'woosh' they take off.

Both species are still relatively new to S. Florida collections, although D. saintelucei has been in cultivation a bit longer (it has been floating around with names of different spellings). We are still learning more about them as they both represent 'empty books' of info. I do not know of any attempts that have been tried closer to Broward's coast where you are located and they might prefer that. The majority of the successes I am referring to are in the Keys, where everything is coastal. I would grow both of them as large as possible in containers before trying them in the ground.

Although cost, availability and space are issues, trying multiple samples is better than one, if possible. Any experiment is better with more data.

Ryan

Yeah, I’m looking for the ground but I could raise them up in pots to start.   I’ve got a spot that gets pretty good sun, and my drainage is great at baseline.   Raised up a bit and sloped, over a over foundation of deep sand over deeper old coral reef remnants.  The surface layer ranges from a 8 inches to a couple of feet+ of organic, sandy loam material…. Trees, bushes, walls, and pipes have all come and gone over various sequential remodels over 70 years here, accounting for the variations.   

Was looking for something for an area that has pipes bordering it, so I wasn’t interested in anything too big in the trunk for that spot….  That’s how I ran into these two.    Sounds like Saintelucei is the better of the two for this idea.   

5 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

@Looking Glass not sure how much of my California experience is transferable to Florida, but here goes….

I concur that D. saintluciei really needs great fast drainage while basilonga isn’t quite so demanding in that regard. Also saintluciei seems to take the sun a lot better. Mound planting with gravel in the mounds will be better than mounded dirt as being less likely  to wash away and get flat, especially in Florida rains. Saintluciei is a bit drought resistant while basilongas are much thirstier. 

Both are skinny single trunkers on the small side, especially saintluciei. So I’d recommend group planting.

Hope this helps and let us know how it goes.

I was planning on a grouping.  But I’m a bit of a grouper with palms in general anyways.  Will be sure to plant high, and keep the amending grainy.  Looks like it will be a bit of a project as I’ll be starting small.  I’ll get a bunch and see what I can do.   I’ll post whatever I find out, even if it’s a flop.   

Thanks all.   

[Tracy]

5 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

I was planning on a grouping.  But I’m a bit of a grouper with palms in general anyways.  Will be sure to plant high, and keep the amending grainy.  Looks like it will be a bit of a project as I’ll be starting small.  I’ll get a bunch and see what I can do.   I’ll post whatever I find out, even if it’s a flop.

My personal opinion on the grouping with these is only if you have enough room so the crowns aren't intermingled.  If you look at the posting of Steve's down under, he has a grouping of 3 but each stands on it's own so you can see the nice formal structure the tristichous growth provides.  I kind of wish I had not planted the pair of Dypsis plumosa so close, right behind one of mine.

[iDesign]

34 minutes ago, Tracy said:

My personal opinion on the grouping with these is only if you have enough room so the crowns aren't intermingled.  If you look at the posting of Steve's down under, he has a grouping of 3 but each stands on it's own so you can see the nice formal structure the tristichous growth provides...

Can you please add a link to Steve’s nicely-spaced grouping? I’m going to do my D. saintluciei as a group of 3 as well. 

[PalmatierMeg]

I haven’t tried Dypsis basilonga in the ground but I have an small one in a pot that made it through last winter. But I had no luck at all with D santalucei. The ones I tried lasted only a few weeks/months. Another local palm grower I knew a few years back told me he had a saintlucei in his yard that was growing great. One day a few months later he stopped by and told me it had gone into a swoon, collapsed and died. He was baffled. I figured if he couldn’t get one to live I likely wasn’t going to do better. Will that happen to you? Who knows?

A depressingly high number of Dypsis spp just don’t do well in FL. So encouraging at least some do, I.e., pembana, sp Malagasy, cabadae, pusilla

[DoomsDave]

Some people pointed out that my "smallish" description of the size is a bit misleading, calling to mind things like Chamadorea elegans and the like.

I think a more accurate statement of size for saintluciei, as shown by @Tracy's picture is "small to medium." I have a pair in my side yard, the largest is which is about the size of Tracy's. I'd say for a group, maybe space at least two feet (60 CM) apart, or further.

I recall that @LJG had a really nice specimen; maybe Len could give us an update on it?

I discovered how sensitive saintlucieis are to drainage issues in the winter of 2014 - 2015 (I think; a wet winter) when my largest one keeled over about 45% after the roots rotted after weeks of rain. The good news is that I was able to straighten it up by tying a rope to a nearby Cocothrinax, and waiting till it re-rooted after a few months. It's still looking good, and appreciating our long California drought.

@Looking Glass I got my first plants from a local grower, who, I'm pretty sure, got them from Floribunda.

[Dusty CBAD]

 

[Looking Glass]

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I haven’t tried Dypsis basilonga in the ground but I have an small one in a pot that made it through last winter. But I had no luck at all with D santalucei. The ones I tried lasted only a few weeks/months. Another local palm grower I knew a few years back told me he had a saintlucei in his yard that was growing great. One day a few months later he stopped by and told me it had gone into a swoon, collapsed and died. He was baffled. I figured if he couldn’t get one to live I likely wasn’t going to do better. Will that happen to you? Who knows?

A depressingly high number of Dypsis spp just don’t do well in FL. So encouraging at least some do, I.e., pembana, sp Malagasy, cabadae, pusilla

Leptocheilos, so far, is my fastest little palm…  Pushing double spears on the regular.    

Carlsmithii has only been in the ground since fall.  It put out a new 8 foot leaf over winter, but stays a lime-yellow color except where the leaves are shaded.   I think it gets too much sun at this age.   

I’ve got young Pembana too, doing OK, but not behaving like a rocket for me, like so many describe.  

Orange crush limps along in pots, unhappily.   Seemingly fading away   
 

So many of the great Dypsis aren’t happy here though.   Too wet? Too dry? Too hot?  Too many nematodes?  ….Early spring high of 87F today with a low of 78F tonight.  

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, iDesign said:

Can you please add a link to Steve’s nicely-spaced grouping? I’m going to do my D. saintluciei as a group of 3 as well. 

 

[Barry]

My Dypsis saintelucei was purchased from Floribunda in Feb 2017, 1 gal. Planted in the ground later 2017 or spring of 2018. It on the west side of house, next to driveway. It does get runoff from the roof. But has done well for me in Fort Myers. Pushing 9 ft overall now.

 

 

[Kim]

I doubt this will add much to the conversation, but both are growing in my garden in East Hawaii. Conditions are ample rain, more lava rock than soil, and temperatures ranging from 60F to perhaps 85F on a really hot day, but cloud cover 60% of the time. 

There was a trio of D. Saintelucei, but one succumbed after the 2018 eruption; sulphur dioxide is a no-go. After being inspired by a chunky trio at Bill Austin’s place, mine look like skinny giraffes in comparison. Planted 2/2014 from 5-gal pots, they had a good start in life. I remember being warned they can get floppy when young, but had no problems. Roughly 20-25 ft. tall now. 

 

Now the petite D. Basilonga planted from a 1-gal 10/2013. Perhaps 15 inches of clear trunk, overall trunk including crownshaft striving to reach 4 ft, and total height 6-7 ft to the top of the tallest leaflet. No issues encountered since planting. Again, more lava rock beneath the roots than soil, but the roots find their way between the cracks. 

Not much useful info for Florida, but there it is. 

[Looking Glass]

1 hour ago, Barry said:

My Dypsis saintelucei was purchased from Floribunda in Feb 2017, 1 gal. Planted in the ground later 2017 or spring of 2018. It on the west side of house, next to driveway. It does get runoff from the roof. But has done well for me in Fort Myers. Pushing 9 ft overall now.

 

Great success!    It is possible then.  

14 minutes ago, Kim said:

I doubt this will add much to the conversation, but both are growing in my garden in East Hawaii. Conditions are ample rain, more lava rock than soil, and temperatures ranging from 60F to perhaps 85F on a really hot day, but cloud cover 60% of the time. 

Sure it does.  Plus, the pics alone are great.   You can never see too many.  

[iDesign]

2 hours ago, Kim said:

There was a trio of D. Saintelucei...

The spacing you show here on your trio (now duo) is similar to what I was thinking of doing with mine (i.e., make it look like it was supposed to be a clustering palm). But I'm second-guessing this plan after seeing recommendations from others to keep them at least 2 feet apart (ideally much more).

@Kim - Any downside you can see with grouping three Saintelucei fairly close together? 

@Tracy or @DoomsDave - Is your recommendation to give them spacing a health concern, or more of a cosmetic preference?

*  The three Saintelucei would have good spacing from OTHER palms... but I'd love to put them close to each other if possible. But not if it would severely compromise palm health. Any thoughts/advice? (other than keeping them from sulphur dioxide... which should be pretty easy in CA)

[deezpalms]

I think Saintelucei looks it’s best in Hawaii like most dypsis however, elsewhere I think Basilonga looks much better and different as well. 

[DoomsDave]

9 hours ago, iDesign said:

The spacing you show here on your trio (now duo) is similar to what I was thinking of doing with mine (i.e., make it look like it was supposed to be a clustering palm). But I'm second-guessing this plan after seeing recommendations from others to keep them at least 2 feet apart (ideally much more).

@Kim - Any downside you can see with grouping three Saintelucei fairly close together? 

@Tracy or @DoomsDave - Is your recommendation to give them spacing a health concern, or more of a cosmetic preference?

*  The three Saintelucei would have good spacing from OTHER palms... but I'd love to put them close to each other if possible. But not if it would severely compromise palm health. Any thoughts/advice? (other than keeping them from sulphur dioxide... which should be pretty easy in CA)

As a practical matter, unless you really cram a bunch in close together, I think it's more aesthetic than health related. If they have a bit of room to spread they'll have a prettier shape in my opinion.

[realarch]

After having grown both of these species for a few years now, I thought I’d share some observations. First off, both of these palms are beautiful garden additions in terms of scale, color, and habit. I’ve often thought of D. basilonga as a miniature D. saintelucei with the upright leaves being the same grey-green color, long drooping basel leaflets, and white crown shaft. D. saintelucei is a much larger palm in terms of trunk diameter and overall height. There really is no comparison between the two here, at least what I have observed, in mine and other gardens. 

Personally, I think small groupings of either species is much more effective visually than stand alone specimens. 

First, here are a few photos of D. saintelucei.

Tim

[realarch]

Now a few of D. basilonga. 

Tim

[Tracy]

15 hours ago, iDesign said:

Is your recommendation to give them spacing a health concern, or more of a cosmetic preference?

It appears to me when looking at the specimens that both Kim and Tim are sharing that at least the Dypsis saintelucei has more of an upright growth habit of the crown in Hawaii, than what Steve shows in Oz or what I'm seeing here with mine.  That does play into the aesthetic of whether they look better tightly grouped versus far enough apart that the crowns don't intermingle at all.  In my opinion and aesthetic preferences, with a more lax crown that we see here, I would be inclined to plant D saintelucei far enough apart that the crowns don't touch or have them staggered in size sufficiently to avoid that.  My thoughts run along the lines that a solitary species like this or D ambositrae should show off its plumage and tristichous nature.  If you want a tightly composed planting here with crowns overlapping there are plenty of clumping species you can use.

I think that if you look at Tim's group plantings there is still spacing between them that is significantly different than what you would see with a clumping species trunk spacing.  It really comes down to personal preferences though and has nothing to do with health.  I think that Dypsis basilonga needs a little more protection here, so a group planting with some spacing might be needed unless you group it with other things to provide the protection.

[Kaname-kun]

I've got two D.  santeleucei planted in Fort Lauderdale that are doing well. Full sun. They have been doing well, though I've staked them against our coastal winds.  Here's one. 

I had D. basilonga planted in full sun but they started doing poorly so I repotted them, waiting for more size before planting in a slightly shaded location.

[Barry]

Yes, they do seem to need staking, at least for me. But it takes full sun and my sandy soil.

[iDesign]

2 hours ago, Tracy said:

It appears to me when looking at the specimens that both Kim and Tim are sharing that at least the Dypsis saintelucei has more of an upright growth habit of the crown in Hawaii, than what Steve shows in Oz or what I'm seeing here with mine.  That does play into the aesthetic of whether they look better tightly grouped versus far enough apart that the crowns don't intermingle at all...

Thanks - that added more clarity in my mind.

Interesting that the shape is so different in CA/AU vs HI... I always assume the HI specimens are taller and more colorful, but in this case the overall palm SHAPE is different as well. With how vertical the HI ones are, I really do like them as a grouping, but with the wider growth habit, might need more room to avoid the “smashed” look.

[Kim]

About spacing — it comes down to personal preference and the look you are going for. Some prefer the tightly planted jungle look. In my garden I like to plant multiples of a species, spacing them so I can appreciate the entire palm with leaf tips slightly overlapping. That does not mean I always succeed! Knowing the ultimate spread of a crown helps, but even then I have miscalculated on occasion, now wishing certain groups were more spread out and others a bit closer. 

[mike in kurtistown]

Probably not going to solve any questions here (from east Hawaii Island), but I can at least offer some more photos. 8 x 8 x 16 cinder blocks and hat provide scale. Both planted from 1- or 2-gal pots after purchase locally from Floribunda. The saintelucei was planted in June 2017. It gets full sun from late morning to late afternoon.

The basilonga is in full sun, with the caveat that "full sun" on windward Hawaii island is humid, cloudy, often rainy, with temperatures rarely exceeding the mid-80's F.

 

[Looking Glass]

On 4/7/2022 at 1:00 AM, deezpalms said:

I think Saintelucei looks it’s best in Hawaii like most dypsis however, elsewhere I think Basilonga looks much better and different as well. 

I think it’s safe to say that just about everything looks best in Hawaii, except for a few alkaline loving and dry-loving species.   …Like unrealistic role models to aspire to.  The runway models of the palm world.  

The challenge here is the wet-hot season.   When it’s constantly dripping wet and 85F at night, and raining all the time for days.   The drainage is good, but it’s a fungal paradise.   The dry season is warm and dry, and I can add the water…. But I can’t take it away in the wet season.  The trunks are dripping, the leaves are dripping, the walls are dripping, even if the surface water drains fast.   That plus high heat makes for mush, mush.   

I prefer the look of Basilonga slightly, but that doesn’t matter if I don’t have the right conditions to produce a good looking specimen.  I’ve probably got a little too much sun for Basilonga right now, and perhaps too much water for Saintelucei, but there’s only one way to find out for sure.   

Thanks to everyone for all the great picks and experiences though!  Every little bit helps.  
 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Looking Glass

[Hilo Jason]

I don’t have anything new to add, just a few photos. 
 

Dypsis Saintelucei crownshaft is glowing it’s so bright right now. 

Here’s one of my Dypsis Basilonga. These are great palms too. Very happy hear at 500 feet elevation. I have a few planted in my other newer garden that is very close to the ocean and they are taking awhile to get going and look good there. Hopefully they will learn to like it there on the coast. 
 

[Looking Glass]

39 minutes ago, Hilo Jason said:

I don’t have anything new to add, just a few photos. 

Dypsis Saintelucei crownshaft is glowing it’s so bright right now. 

Here’s one of my Dypsis Basilonga. These are great palms too. Very happy hear at 500 feet elevation. I have a few planted in my other newer garden that is very close to the ocean and they are taking awhile to get going and look good there. Hopefully they will learn to like it there on the coast. 

Wow.  My eyeballs are pretty much popping out of my head.  That's great stuff right there.   

[realarch]

By the way, the inflorescence on D. saintelucei are massive and heavy. They usually snap off because of the weight, so to get viable, ripe seed, you have to tie them up or hope they can lean on an adjacent palm. Hmmm…...another reason to plant them a bit closer?

Here’s an example of a typical casualty. 

Tim 

[Barry]

Damn, that is huge! Especially for the palm size overall.

[Looking Glass]

So I did end up getting 6x 4 inchers of each in last years Floribunda order.   I didn’t really baby either one too much.  Here’s how they made out after a year in Florida.
 

Dypsis/Chrysalidocarpus Saintleucii 

These grew slower, but seemed more happy under the conditions here.  All survived, with one weakling barely hanging on, one big guy, and the rest in the middle.  They are a bit wobbly, but grow pretty happily in the heat and part-day sun protection from other trees.  More tolerant of sun than the other.   

May 2022…

June 2023…

 

Dypsis/Chrysalidocarpus Basilongus

These all survived, and all look about the same.  They are a little more robust and well rooted, and less wobbly, but beat up by bugs, the sun, the heat here.  Definitely not as happy, even under a lot of shade.   I have them tucked all over the place in shady spots.  they all look kind of unhappy and a little ragged.  

May 2022…

 

June 2023…

 

Saintleucii is happier and doing better for me here, so far.   

[D. Morrowii]

That looks like a pretty decent growth rate for both at least. I have a bunch of saintelucei seedlings and even the little guys have been pretty tough. It’ll probably be another year or two before I plant one outside though. Although I don't have any at the moment I’m rooting for the basilongus,  They sure are neat looking palms. For some reason I was thinking they are a no go here. 

[Kaname-kun]

For me, saintleucei seems happier than basilongus, though basilongus is still growing after three years and has been repotted several times. I attach a photo of saintleucei in the ground, about 7 feet high. I had to stake one because it's a windy exposure and as you mentioned, they tend to wobble when young. Sun but not full all day overhead, planted in the unmodified well-draining soil there. I have four basilongus in pots in the general area I plan to try them out, and I put a fifth in the ground in that area last year as a test and it's doing OK, but the verdict is still out for me on this species here. They get 2x week irrigation when it's not raining. Not sure it's worth a picture of the basilongus, crowded among other plants, but I included it anyway. The basilongus are 4-5 feet high now. 

[realarch]

Jeffery, your C. saintelucei look great as well as the cycads in the foreground. 👊

Tim

[Hilo Jason]

Updated photos of Basilongus in my garden. Now setting good seed so I have way more seedlings than I know what to do with 

 

[Looking Glass]

19 hours ago, Kaname-kun said:

For me, saintleucei seems happier than basilongus, though basilongus is still growing after three years and has been repotted several times. I attach a photo of saintleucei in the ground, about 7 feet high. I had to stake one because it's a windy exposure and as you mentioned, they tend to wobble when young. Sun but not full all day overhead, planted in the unmodified well-draining soil there. I have four basilongus in pots in the general area I plan to try them out, and I put a fifth in the ground in that area last year as a test and it's doing OK, but the verdict is still out for me on this species here. They get 2x week irrigation when it's not raining. Not sure it's worth a picture of the basilongus, crowded among other plants, but I included it anyway. The basilongus are 4-5 feet high now. 

Those saintluecei really shot up over the past year.  
 

On 6/23/2023 at 6:27 PM, D. Morrowii said:

That looks like a pretty decent growth rate for both at least. I have a bunch of saintelucei seedlings and even the little guys have been pretty tough. It’ll probably be another year or two before I plant one outside though. Although I don't have any at the moment I’m rooting for the basilongus,  They sure are neat looking palms. For some reason I was thinking they are a no go here. 

They may be a tough one here.  Probably would do best in the shade and in the rich muck of western Broward County out toward the Everglades.  Time will tell I guess.  They don’t look overjoyed for me.  
 

8 hours ago, Hilo Jason said:

Updated photos of Basilongus in my garden. Now setting good seed so I have way more seedlings than I know what to do with 

 

 

 

Great looking palms.  You could start a single species export business!