Jubaeaopsis caffra seedling

[TheMadScientist]

First, there are so many incredible members on this forum dispensing their life experiences with each species in the areas of seeds, flowering, ripening, germination techniques, potting, planting....Thank you to all.   This species has been a challenge and I wanted to document what works consistently, but I'm not there yet.  Fresh is always a key topic, but just because you pick it from the palm doesn't make it RIPE.  Just because the palm ejected the seed from the cluster dropping it to the ground, doesn't make it RIPE.  This species keeps a yellow color for a long period of time while ripening internally.  I have kept tabs on 3 different clusters of seeds with similar fruit color.  The clusters will start to sag as much as 2 to 3 feet as they are still developing internally.  The size of this seed can remain the same size for many months, same hardness, but will be hollow with liquid and no white (coconut type meat).  Then in a couple of months, starts to fill completely inside, but the shell will be a tan color which I will attach a photo but still is not ripe.  At a point, the shell becomes very dark, so it is very close to harvesting.  I know there are squirrels in the neighborhood, but have never seen them in this palm, no appearance of animals attacking the clusters, but have seen seeds on the ground broken and all meat inside eaten. (the photo with tan shell has 2 seeds that are dark collected on the ground a 1 broken seed shell.

The fruit is very easy to remove when RIPE.  I have read this species takes a long time to germinate perhaps because of how thick the shell is and it being hermetically sealed.  I did remove the "lid" which can be seen in the dark shell photo.  With north and south poles held between thumb and pointer finger, spin the seed looking at the equator and you will notice 3 patterns.  The largest 1 is the "lid" and with a box knife lightly prying in the corner of this football shape, it pops out.  Don't jab with so much force that you penetrate the white meat as the lid is perhaps .060" thick.  I water soaked for 1 day, then 15 minute hydrogen peroxide soak to minimize mold, sown in peatmoss / perlite mix that I made moist and squeezed all extra water out.  I use 2 liter plastic soda bottles with top removed and drain holes put in the bottom.  One of my first batches, I orientated the germination port towards the container so I could watch development....bad idea as the tap root spiraled like a pig tail and never went down.  The one that germinated, died within 1 month as no roots ever developed.  Then I aimed the germination ports inward.  Expect a 3 to 4 inch tap root that enlarges 3 times in diameter at this point, then sends up the growth portion.  It took 7 weeks to germinate and in 2 months has grown 10 inches with a 2 inch second strap leaf that isn't easy to see in this photo.

Still growing and doing well:

UNRIPE seed with tan color:

RIPE seeds with lid removed:

[TheMadScientist]

Forgot to post the photo with spiral root and this one has died:  

[Tyrone]

Good write up. 

Ive never delidded this species. The lid is paper thin. 

I did all the usual soaking treatments then placed them with the biggest eye (embryo side) down half way into moist perlite sand coir fibre with a layer of spaghnum moss over the top in a pot inside a sealed plastic bag on a shelf inside my tin shed. The temp fluctuations tend to do the trick and a percentage will germinate and I will move them on into their own pot at the one leaf stage. The remaining ones which haven’t germinated after 6 months I soak again and do the whole thing again. The seed can take 3-4 years before you reach the end.

After that you need to give these perfect drainage. Too much water creates sudden death syndrome. I plant my seedlings out into a 50% perlite to potting mix ratio and it has to be a free draining potting mix. Any glugginess causes death. These prefer a sandy mix in the garden but as they get older they get tougher. Seedlings are just tricky to keep alive. I’ve killed a good few of them. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

That will be a great palm in about thirty years.