Archontophoenix ID - Colorful Crownshaft

[Butiagrus]

Hi everyone!

This palm is growing in Spain near Barcelona coast in full sun, I got it as an "Archontophoenix Alexandrae" seedling but I start to doubt the ID..

The leaflets are mostly green (not really silver) underside and the crownshaft became more and more colourful with time. Also today for the first time even displaying some nice tones of red color..

Should I rename the tag as A. Cunninghamiana instead?  Any other suggestions ?

Thanks!

JB

[BayAndroid]

Yep, that definitely is a Cunninghamiana. 

[tim_brissy_13]

I’d lean toward A cunninghamiana from these photos but stop short of making a positive ID. The speckled crownshaft and fuzz on the last growth ring of trunk indicate cunninghamiana, but a close up of the leaflet undersides would allow 100% certainty. A cunninghamiana will be green with ramenta, A alexandrae silver without ramenta. 
 

Also, this isn’t a cause for great concern, but the crownshaft colour appears to be minor pink rot. It’s not a problem as long as it doesn’t get into the growth point and I e found it quite common in some crownshafted palms including Archontophoenix after winter. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Also appears to have more drooping fronds . Alexandrea tent to have larger , more upright fronds. Harry

[Butiagrus]

Thanks for the detailed comments!

Regarding pink rot, it could be yeah.. the other side seems healthy but I will treat in case.. thanks for spotting it.

Palm is trunking but still young, leaves tends to droop yes.

Regarding the leaf underside color clearly the grayish color is absent but I cannot see any ramenta which would tend to indicate an Hybrid between Alexandrae and Cunninghamiana maybe ?

 

[Harry’s Palms]

That’s a very nice looking palm. My Alexandrae had a silver-ish underside at an early stage , plus the base of the trunk swelled up as soon as it formed. It now is a prominent bottle shape. Harry

The base started this not long after forming the trunk. I was told this is typical for Alexandrae

[Butiagrus]

Harry that's a fantastic looking trunk, I love it!

Question is: would it be possible to have pure Cunninghamina without ramenta underside the leaf ?

[tim_brissy_13]

1 hour ago, Butiagrus said:

Harry that's a fantastic looking trunk, I love it!

Question is: would it be possible to have pure Cunninghamina without ramenta underside the leaf ?

Good photos. Definitely not pure cunninghamiana. Either A alexandrae or a hybrid which tend to lean toward alexandrae traits so that might fit well. 

[Butiagrus]

So this may be the deal then:

https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/archontophoenix-x-albang

'The Albang Palm has a tapering trunk with an enlarged base like A. alexandrae and leaves that are usually dark green on both sides and slightly more pendulous than those of the latter palm'

One more in the collection, I will update the tag 😁

[Butiagrus]

Just a bit of palm p*rn 😍 

Ramenta under the leave (in the right side of the picture) is definitly lacking (this leave just openened this week).

It is quite cool actually because this hybrid is the only Archontophoenix out of the genus without silver color neither ramenta underside.

[tim_brissy_13]

27 minutes ago, Butiagrus said:

Just a bit of palm p*rn 😍 

Ramenta under the leave (in the right side of the picture) is definitly lacking (this leave just openened this week).

It is quite cool actually because this hybrid is the only Archontophoenix out of the genus without silver color neither ramenta underside.

I’ve never seen any Archontophoenix, even hybrids, have green undersides without ramenta. Most cunninghamiana x alexandrae (and the reverse cross) tend to lean towards alexandrae from what I’ve seen with no ramenta and silver undersides, sometimes silver with ramenta but I’ve never seen green with no ramenta. 
 

Is the latest photo you took of the new frond opening from the same palm as further above in this thread? The photo you previously took showed silver/grey abaxial surface to the leaflets so I suspect the silver would be apparent in different lighting or different angles on this new frond too. 

[Butiagrus]

Yes this is only the same palm in the pictures I shared above.

Color really depends on the lightning so I took a new one (without sunlight going through and with white background to be more fair) but the grayish (if there) is quite light..

The second picture is from a Purpurea where the gray color and ramenta is very obvious in comparison 😁