Arenga question

[quaman58]

Hey all, I was wandering around my neighbors yard and noticed this Arenga. Forgive the picture; it’s in a difficult place and the lighting wasn’t great. But it’s a spectacular palm, with fronds pushing 20’ in length. I’m sure it was originally from Floribunda, so it’s probably a less common one. I know there’s a lot of this genus that are pretty tropical in their needs, but this one seems as happy as a clam. Any thoughts as to the species? 

[happypalms]

My guess arenga westerhoutii.

[quaman58]

I assumed that westerhoutii might be too tropical for our area, but I could be wrong. Any possibility it could be micrantha?

[DoomsDave]

Whatever that one is @quaman58 I’m pretty sure I’ve got two. I think micrantha too.

[Phoenikakias]

1 hour ago, quaman58 said:

I assumed that westerhoutii might be too tropical for our area, but I could be wrong. Any possibility it could be micrantha?

On the contrary westerhoutii is cold hardier than pinnata due to the higher altitude of its habitat. Seeing the fronds alone I am inclined too towards the above sp , but the stem does not match, because it lacks those spine-like black fibers.  Instead trunk reminds a lot those widespread specimens thought to be micrantha, but they also do not comply fully with the description of latter sp. Perhaps a hybrid?

[Than]

It must be 200 years old..

[Phoenikakias]

Νο

[quaman58]

Thanks for the feedback, all. My guess is 12 years old. It suckers, but not a lot; perhaps 3 pups at the moment. He gifted me a 15 gallon specimen Arenga & I'm trying to note any similarities (or not), but given the size difference, it's tough to know what I have & how much space to give it. 

[pietropuccio]

2 hours ago, quaman58 said:

It suckers, but not a lot; perhaps 3 pups at the moment. 

Arenga westerhoutii is a single-stemmed palm.

[Merlyn]

2 hours ago, quaman58 said:

Thanks for the feedback, all. My guess is 12 years old. It suckers, but not a lot; perhaps 3 pups at the moment. He gifted me a 15 gallon specimen Arenga & I'm trying to note any similarities (or not), but given the size difference, it's tough to know what I have & how much space to give it. 

That would sure be a hint towards Micrantha.  They are known to be super slow growing and also relatively slow to sucker.

[tim_brissy_13]

I’d say it’s Arenga ‘micrantha’ that isn’t the true species as per the description but the one known as micrantha in cultivation. 

[DoomsDave]

Here’s mine just like @quaman58’s neighbor’s plant.

I’ve got two; the biggest one (pictured) is about 30 feet or 10 m tall.

[quaman58]

Boy, that’s a big one Dave..

[DoomsDave]

26 minutes ago, quaman58 said:

Boy, that’s a big one Dave..

Bigger badder mo’ bodacious n’me!

[realarch]

Sa beast!

Tim

[tim_brissy_13]

By chance I was going past a spot where I knew a large Arenga ‘micrantha’ lurked. It’s a beast! One of the coolest palms in all of Melbourne.

Yep, the palm slightly to the left underneath it is Beccariophoenix alfredii. The A ‘micrantha’ is huge. 

[Jonathan]

6 hours ago, realarch said:

Sa beast!

Tim

Tis!

[Jonathan]

1 hour ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

By chance I was going past a spot where I knew a large Arenga ‘micrantha’ lurked. It’s a beast! One of the coolest palms in all of Melbourne.

Yep, the palm slightly to the left underneath it is Beccariophoenix alfredii. The A ‘micrantha’ is huge. 

That's a ripper Tim. Where abouts?

[peachy]

2 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

By chance I was going past a spot where I knew a large Arenga ‘micrantha’ lurked. It’s a beast! One of the coolest palms in all of Melbourne.

Yep, the palm slightly to the left underneath it is Beccariophoenix alfredii. The A ‘micrantha’ is huge. 

Is that on Queens Rd ?

 

[Harry’s Palms]

Those are beautiful @DoomsDave. I remember the one out front. The only down side is the terminal inflorescence with no pups to carry on. Harry

[tim_brissy_13]

8 hours ago, Jonathan said:

That's a ripper Tim. Where abouts?

 

7 hours ago, peachy said:

Is that on Queens Rd ?

 

Jonathan, Peachy - it’s in a little tucked away courtyard in the University of Melbourne. They’ve got a nice collection in there thanks to another collector down this way.