What is the rarest palm you own?

[Slifer00]

Whether it is a standard washingtonia or a juania, what is the most rare palm in your possession? And how did you get it?

[iDesign]

In young palms, it would be my hybrids...

• "Tribear" / Chrysalidocarpus leptocheilos x decaryi
• "Tribana" / Chrysalidocarpus pembanus x decaryi
• "Mad Fox" / Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis?) marojejyi

In larger palms (20G+)...

• Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) carlsmithii
• Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) decipiens
• Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) decipiens x onilahensis hybrid
• Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) decipiens blue (aka "Butt ugly betafaka")
• Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) hovomantsina
• Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) mananjarensis ("mealy bug")
• Chambeyronia houailou
• Ravanea sambirinensis

The rest are mostly Floribunda-sourced.

How did I get them? By shelling out a ton of 💸 - over a multi-year quest.

[Darold Petty]

Geonoma undata, red leafbase form, from the late Dick Endt.  (the strong color fades with maturity)  I purchased three, but one died.

[Jim in Los Altos]

The single rarest in the garden would have to be Jubaeopsis caffra. I purchased a seedling from a specialty nursery many years ago that no longer exists. 
 

[donpachino1983]

I would say  my hemithrinax ekmaniana copernicia curtissii and copernicia rigida....

[idontknowhatnametuse]

This Bactris major

[idontknowhatnametuse]

And this Syagrus sancona

[Hillizard]

My Rhapis vidalii which I grew from seed (via RPS). Some of the dried frond tips trimmed. 

[realarch]

Boy, I would have to say it’s a Voanioala gerardii from Madagascar. Managed to get a 1 gallon back in 2010. Known as the forest coconut. 

Tim

[quaman58]

33 minutes ago, realarch said:

Boy, I would have to say it’s a Voanioala gerardii from Madagascar. Managed to get a 1 gallon back in 2010. Known as the forest coconut. 

Tim

Yep Tim,

You've got the rare zone for that beauty! It's got a sort of Becarriophoenix m. look to it at that age. Very nice..

Bret

 

[Hu Palmeras]

Hace 4 horas, Slifer00 dijo:

Ya sea una  washingtonia  estándar o una  juania , ¿cuál es la palmera más rara que posee? ¿Y cómo la consiguió?

Juana Australis of Robinson Crusoe

[Hu Palmeras]

There are many rare tropical palm trees, but the Juania Australis is very rare. The island's park ranger gave them to me.

[Fusca]

These aren't going to impress many but mine is probably a suckering blue Brahea dulcis which I grew from seed off @DoomsDave's palm.  Or possibly a variegated Sabal palmetto from @FishEyeAquaculture via @ahosey01.

 

 

[PlantMorePalms]

Mine's also Jubaeopsis affra, I've had it for a couple years and it's still small but was estimated to already be around 15 years old when I bought it. I hope it starts getting more of the golden coloration soon!

[Fusca]

25 minutes ago, Hu Palmeras said:

There are many rare tropical palm trees, but the Juania Australis is very rare. The island's park ranger gave them to me.

Share a photo! 

[Hu Palmeras]

If the Juania Australis seeds are germinating, I hope they turn out healthy.

[happypalms]

Tough call in Australia a lot of stuff is extremely rare. Especially in my subtropical climate. You’re up against the palm mafia to get anything rare. 

licuala egregia 

licuala triphylia var stenophylla 

Geonoma atrovirens 

Sabinara magnifica 

And I know there’s more rare ones in there somewhere in the collection. I only know them when I see them! 

[Hu Palmeras]

RPS of Germany sells seeds of Sabinaria Magnifica, a palm tree native to Colombia and Panama.

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, Hu Palmeras said:

If the Juania Australis seeds are germinating, I hope they turn out healthy.

Best of luck with the germination!  

[Hu Palmeras]

Thanks, friend. I hope to continue learning about this palm tree. This palm tree is a craze. sobre todo en europa

[iDesign]

Seeing all the amazing palms here, I realize I should have posted just my VERY rarest, with photo.

So I’ll call it my “mealy bug” - because it’s rare to find one this size in CA, and it was also my most expensive palm…

[tim_brissy_13]

A few of my contenders:

Lepidorrhachis mooreana

Ceroxylon vogelianum

Linospadix apetiolatus, L microcaryus

Chamaedorea frondosa, C liebmanii, C falcifera

Sygrus harleyi, S cataphracta

Basselinia pendulina, B pseudovelutina

Here’s the Lepidorrhachis just after I got them. They’ve grown well over winter since. 
 

[sonoranfans]

7 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

Geonoma undata, red leafbase form, from the late Dick Endt.  (the strong color fades with maturity)  I purchased three, but one died.

Wow, what a beauty!  one of the most beautiful crownshafted palms of all!  I love the white trunk contrast, stunning!

[Darold Petty]

Tom, it loses this extravagant color as it matures.  This is an old image.  My surviving one has only a 'reddish chocolate' leafbase, while the third one still holds the color in deep shade but has hardly grown taller.

[aztropic]

I have 2. Copernicia cowellii and Coccothrinax boschiana. I had to travel to their respective habitats in Cuba and the Dominican Republic to collect the seeds to grow my own. These rarely are available as plants or even seeds as the ONLY location worldwide for mature, seed producing trees, is their tiny habitats.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[donpachino1983]

Wowowowo all amazing palms so far

[JohnAndSancho]

Wow, there's some cool stuff in here. My rarest is either my lipstick seedling or my Obi Island, which doesn't look great right now. Everything is rare around here though. Maybe my Butia hybrid. All I've seen for miles are a couple Trachies and some Sabals and one mature Butia. I definitely have the most exotic collection on my road (there's 4 houses on this road)

[sonoranfans]

I dont have a rare palm, though in my neighborhood many are rare.  I guess the least common palm I have is a patrick schaffer hybrid (BxJ)xJ.  I got it as a strap leafer in 2015.  It might be very uncommon for florida.  I am hoping it gets massive, fingers crossed.

 

[flplantguy]

I think mine may be a seedling Masoala madagascariensis.  Its tiny still, so not a big success, but its happy enough. I have/had a few other very rare ones, but i think its the most uncommon.

[RiverCityRichard]

Some awesome palms I’ve never heard of in this thread. Most of my palms are rare for central Florida while not rare in other places, but rarest is most likely my Coccothrinax Macroglossa “Azul”

[quaman58]

Beautiful specimens all! I’ve always felt that there was the “hard to get” palms, and then the truly rare ones based on their limited range and other factors. For me, the Hawaiian Pritchardia is a fixation. Knowing there’s only a handful of P. viscosa or remota in habitat, makes me cherish the ones I’m fortunate enough to be growing. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Nothing super rare but a few hard to find ( for me ) . Not available in most nurseries. Harry

Chrysalidiocarpus Decipiens seedlings

Dypsis Lanceolata juvenile

Dypsis Basilonga juvenile 

Dypsis Plumosa juvenile 

Cyphophoenix Nucele juvenile

 

[96720]

Mine is not rare anywhere but in Phoenix (hell) just opened a new frond in our 110-115 comfortable wheather!! Chrysalidocarpus leptocheilos!!

 

[Harry’s Palms]

Forgot to mention a palm I got my hands on many years ago , Guihaia Argyata. Hardly see them around here . Harry 

[gyuseppe]

my hybrid phoenix roebelenii x reclinata and hybrid phiìoenix roebelenii x dactylifera

[gyuseppe]

7 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

A few of my contenders:

Lepidorrhachis mooreana

Ceroxylon vogelianum

Linospadix apetiolatus, L microcaryus

Chamaedorea frondosa, C liebmanii, C falcifera

Sygrus harleyi, S cataphracta

Basselinia pendulina, B pseudovelutina

Here’s the Lepidorrhachis just after I got them. They’ve grown well over winter since. 
 

Tim I had Chamaedorea frondosa, C liebmanii, C falcifera, all of which died due to lack of water.

[Kim]

This is an old photo from 2022 of the larger of my 2 Voanioala gerrardii. Tim (realarch) and I are both growing this palm, along with a number of other Big Island palm enthusiasts. I should take a fresh photo, it's a beautiful palm -- basically looks the same but bigger now.

[Stefanus]

My T. waggy x princeps that I grew from seed this year, if it keeps its variegation. 
 

[DoomsDave]

13 hours ago, Fusca said:

These aren't going to impress many but mine is probably a suckering blue Brahea dulcis which I grew from seed off @DoomsDave's palm.  Or possibly a variegated Sabal palmetto from @FishEyeAquaculture via @ahosey01.

 

 

Looks like a Sabal.

[DoomsDave]

Hmmm. I don’t have any ultra rarities like some have noted (you GO @aztropic! ) but I have a few at least sorta rarities, some getting to be of serious size:

Jubaeopsis caffra (getting like @Jim in Los Altos’s plant)

Ravenea julietae (10-12 feet no trunk)

Chamadorea benzei

Jubutea hybrid (please don’t eat me!)

Parajubaea sunkha (35 feet overall)

And others.