Hi mates,

working and traveling around the Cairns area I've been able to see, with my surprise, quite a few Archontophoenix with a forking stem.

I used to think this was something typical of the old 'Dypsis' genus in feather-leaved palms but looks like it can happen.

Just wanted to show you some pictures I've taken and ask you, if you have others, to post them here as well.

Firstly a 2 headed palm

than a 3 headed palm

and finish with a 4 headed palm 😎.

Do you think this kind of growth is a response to trauma (cyclone season?) or it has something to do with genetic background of the individual plant?

In this case would be possible to select for this behaviour?

Cheers.

 

 

Wow! I’d imagine it’s a genetic defect. The fact that there is multiple in the same vicinity is a pretty crazy coincidence though. Maybe it is due to other factors. 
 

Interesting. 
 

-dale 

Here's a triple-headed Copernicia alba from Palmpedia that I believe was due to lightning strikes damaging the growing point.  I haven't seen this in a crownshaft palm before but perhaps it's also weather related.

 

5 minutes ago, Fusca said:

I've seen photos of double-headed Copernicia alba that I believe was due to lightning strikes damaging the growing point.  I haven't seen this in a crownshaft palm before but perhaps it's also weather related.

I've heard this happens in albas in habitat when the growth point is damaged by fire.

No idea if that's true or not.

2 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

I've heard this happens in albas in habitat when the growth point is damaged by fire.

No idea if that's true or not.

Could be.  I have read about lightning strikes doing this to palms somewhere but might not be applicable in this shot.

They are from rural Queensland where even people are born with 2 heads.

Peachy

Good one Peachy! Here , perhaps more common are multi head Phoenix Roebelini . Pauline had a couple that did it . The ones I’ve seen happen about 4-5’ up the trunk. I have a few Pygmy palms but none that have split yet. The Archontophoenix  are very interesting . My friend just got back from Africa and showed me pics of Haephane that are well known to branch out. Harry

Get the seeds💲💲💲💲💲

On 6/15/2024 at 1:57 PM, Harry’s Palms said:

Good one Peachy! Here , perhaps more common are multi head Phoenix Roebelini . Pauline had a couple that did it . The ones I’ve seen happen about 4-5’ up the trunk. I have a few Pygmy palms but none that have split yet. The Archontophoenix  are very interesting . My friend just got back from Africa and showed me pics of Haephane that are well known to branch out. Harry

A lot of the Chrysalidicarpus lutescens which are multi trunked to start with, will get branching trunks after a few years in the ground.  I germinated a lot of Hyphaene seeds but lost them in the floods of 2011.

Peachy

The area in Africa where the pics were taken looked pretty warm and arid. Harry

22 hours ago, happypalms said:

Get the seeds💲💲💲💲💲

Tasmanian palms?

6 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Tasmanian palms?

You said it not me. 🤣

7 minutes ago, happypalms said:

You said it not me. 🤣

We need to accept our cultural identity, lol.

9 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

We need to accept our cultural identity, lol.

I would stick to eating apples after all Tasman’s famous for it’s apples and cold weather.

10 minutes ago, happypalms said:

I would stick to eating apples after all Tasman’s famous for it’s apples and cold weather.

We'll continue this discussion in February.

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

Tasmanian palms?

I beat you to it this time, got in first with the Qld crack.

48 minutes ago, peachy said:

I beat you to it this time, got in first with the Qld crack.

You did too! That's how slow we are down here.

Go into Brisbane city on a sunday and you can fire a cannon without hitting anyone. And Tassie has had Daylight Saving for a million years. Up here they are still waiting for all the old people to die before they consider bringing it in. Suburban trains only every 40 minutes. In the suburbs only one bus per hour and the last one runs at 6pm. Which works out okay because nothing is open after 5pm anyway.  The propaganda tells us we live in a world class city ! (by 3rd world standards maybe) Hobart had a casino when I was a school kid and you grab a hamburger after 7pm.  Hobart is like a scene from the Jetsons in comparison to this place.

Peachy

22 hours ago, peachy said:

Go into Brisbane city on a sunday and you can fire a cannon without hitting anyone. And Tassie has had Daylight Saving for a million years. Up here they are still waiting for all the old people to die before they consider bringing it in. Suburban trains only every 40 minutes. In the suburbs only one bus per hour and the last one runs at 6pm. Which works out okay because nothing is open after 5pm anyway.  The propaganda tells us we live in a world class city ! (by 3rd world standards maybe) Hobart had a casino when I was a school kid and you grab a hamburger after 7pm.  Hobart is like a scene from the Jetsons in comparison to this place.

Peachy

Love it! Poor old Queenslanders...stuck back there in the 19th century...

I think maybe you're a little harsh on your fellow countrymen though?

On 6/16/2024 at 6:09 PM, Jonathan said:

Tasmanian palms?

Bet you Taswegians can't beat this one, a 6 header. Look at the close up photo and you'll see it used to be a 7 header.

Another one given to the occasional "split personality" is Hydriastele ramsayi. Years ago I found this 5 header, but closer inspection showed it was 2 trunks hard up against one another, one with 2 heads and the other with 3 heads. 2 heads, although still rare, are a bit more common.

I should try and relocate this again, the photo is 18 years old. It may have put on some height, or croaked. It's in a very remote and difficult to access area for most of the year.

 

 

8 hours ago, tropicbreeze said:

Bet you Taswegians can't beat this one, a 6 header. Look at the close up photo and you'll see it used to be a 7 header.

Another one given to the occasional "split personality" is Hydriastele ramsayi. Years ago I found this 5 header, but closer inspection showed it was 2 trunks hard up against one another, one with 2 heads and the other with 3 heads. 2 heads, although still rare, are a bit more common.

I should try and relocate this again, the photo is 18 years old. It may have put on some height, or croaked. It's in a very remote and difficult to access area for most of the year.

 

 

Wow...the palm of the apocalypse! Can't say they're pretty but we should still try and say nice things about them.

Would that be lightening strike o r other physical damage mostly, or something genetic do you think?

On 6/14/2024 at 4:32 PM, peachy said:

They are from rural Queensland where even people are born with 2 heads.

Peachy

LOL

On 6/15/2024 at 8:06 PM, happypalms said:

Get the seeds💲💲💲💲💲

Sadly no seeds on the the trees at the moment but I can provide the Address if someone happens to pass by Cairns next season 

Super cool looking! Years ago, I had a young Archontophoenix purpurea get frost damage, and the tip browned off and died. Two stems came up and its place. Unfortunately, I lost the plant on the next growing season to a rat attack. So in my case, it was an injury that led to the two stems.

Between the multi- headed palms and the quips between Peachy, Jonathan and Harry ( all hilarious gallows humor) and you have a flow of pearls of wisdom and gems of knowledge!