Be sure to give your Corypha umbraculifera plenty of room

[Rick Kelley]

I visited Karen Piercy's place this afternoon under the pretext of picking lychee. Of course, the real reason to visit was to commune with the jaw-dropping collection of massive palms. I posted a photo of this Corypha umbraculifera a few years ago, but it was even more overwhelming on this visit. The trunk has to be over 4 ft in diameter, maybe closer to 5 ft. Growing in deep Hamakua soil at roughly 1200 ft elevation overlooking the Hilo airport. Now you know why you don't often see these growing in suburban landscapes.  Certainly gives Tahina competition as the most massive palm out there. It's probably still decades away from blooming.

You may remember Karen and her husband, Dean, as the organizers of the 2004 IPS Biennial to Hawaii and helping again with the tour of the former Carlsmith palm collection during the 2022 Biennial. BTW, I filled my 5 gallon bucket with delicious lychee. That didn't make a dent in the fruit still left on the trees. Oh, the hardships of living in Hawaii...

[tinman10101]

I love lychees Rick.  I can't imagine how prolific they grow. My mom's tree in Miami bears tons of fruit but the crows eat them all. Wondering if you guys experience the same on Hawaii with pests eating all the lychees?

Oh and that palm is nuts. Wish I could grow one in Santa Clarita but I have seen a few in Miami that are stunningly massive. Thanks for sharing. 

[Hilo Jason]

Wow, that is really getting big!  I remember seeing it years ago when you took me there and it was much smaller then. 

[happypalms]

What a monster, let’s see em plant that one between the house and pathway!

[Harry’s Palms]

Wow , very impressive palm . That would certainly make a huge statement wherever it is planted . How old is that specimen? Do they continue to get tall? Harry

[Merlyn]

@Rick Kelley that is a beast of a palm!  I planted one of these on the East side of my yard, thankfully about 30 feet from my house.    I did a little photochop editing, it looks like the trunk is approximately 1 Karen wide and the crown is about 3.75 Karens radius.  If she's around 5 feet tall that makes the crown a whopping 37.5 feet diameter!  I'm just guessing on her height, is that reasonably close?

[Rick Kelley]

Yes, a spread of roughly 35-40 ft sounds about right. Not sure how old it is, but certainly more than 15 years. There is one with about 25 ft of trunk growing next to the former Carlsmith palm garden with no sign of a terminal inflorescence, yet. I started one from a 1 gallon seedling about 7 years. It is nothing like Karen's, but it is opening a new frond every month and is about 20 ft tall despite lacking a trunk Having been forewarned by seeing Karen's, I planted mine in a wide open space.

[Central Floridave]

Amazing palm!  Wowsa!!!

[sonoranfans]

Wow!  It takes the space of at least 5-6 medium sized palms.  Need a big yard so it can stand apart and be viewed as it grows ever larger.