Ring spacing

[Brad52]

Not the best photo but…is ring spacing relative to site conditions and thus growth rates?  I have several palms that I obtained as Veitchia joannis but they mostly don’t look alike so I am wondering what they might be, on this one the ring scars are very close together and none of the others are like that - but this is the only one that grew in some shade. I know that with bamboo environmetal conditions impact the internode spacing but are palms similar?  Most of the joannis I have spacing 4” or so apart but this guy is usually an inch or so.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Environmental conditions definitely affect trunk leaf scar spacing. A vigorous unstressed palm is going to grow faster and have much larger spacing between rings than the same species under more stressful conditions or just not ideal conditions. The amount of water available to the palm is likely the most important factor. You can see in the photos the 10-12” ring spacing on these Archontophoenix. I’ve seen stressed ones with less than an inch between rings as well as narrower trunks. Mine are in soil that never ever dries out and, therefore, growth is always robust.
 

 

Edited February 5 by Jim in Los Altos

[Brad52]

Makes sense, thanks Jim.  Here are 2 that got me pondering this, both obtained at V joannis and are about 15’ apart in similar conditions but the one with wider ring spacing gets a tad more sun.  It is also was planted a year after the narrow ring bloke and was smaller when planted but now is about the same size as the older one.

Are they different palm species or does the little extra light pump up the younger one or is one just more vigorous led me to staring at ring spacing and growth rates…

[Harry’s Palms]

This my pair of A. Cuninghamiana . They get afternoon sun only , partial shade most other times. 

Then there is my Alexandriana that gets direct sun most of the day. The last is the Caryota Urens in full sun since very young. There can also be variations in species I think. Harry

Edited February 7 by Harry’s Palms

[Brad52]

Interesting how your heavy sun Alexandriana has very short interrings, is that typical for the species?

[Harry’s Palms]

I'm not sure if it is the species or the location where I planted these palms. It definitely got way more sun than the Bungalows and they are the same age. Harry