Mystery palm seedlings identification

[Cohannon]

Hi guys .... Enjoying retirement on the sunny island of St Helena and new to all things palms. Back in February 2025 I obtained some seeds reputed to be from a Pygmy Date Palm, only a few germinated and they were by the baggy method. What I seem to have now are healthy multi-stemmed seedlings that don't appear to be similar to any photos I have found of the Pygmy Date Palm variety. I am aware it is difficult to identify seedlings but as these are multi-stemmed would anybody like to have an educated guess?

[Fusca]

Not a palm but rather some type of weedy grass.  

[Chester B]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Not a palm but rather some type of weedy grass.  

I agree.

[aztropic]

First impression - looks like crabgrass!😆🤷‍♂️

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Harry’s Palms]

Yep , not a palm. A couple of examples of different palm seedlings ( they can vary a lot ) Harry

Washingtoni Robusta

potted up , showing a singular stem , like a Phoenix Roebelini would have , with strap leaf shape initially.

Chrysalidiocarpus Decipiens seedling . I hope this helps a bit . Again , palms can vary but your Pygmy date palm would start out similar to these examples. Harry

[gyuseppe]

3 hours ago, Cohannon said:

Hi guys .... Enjoying retirement on the sunny island of St Helena and new to all things palms. Back in February 2025 I obtained some seeds reputed to be from a Pygmy Date Palm, only a few germinated and they were by the baggy method. What I seem to have now are healthy multi-stemmed seedlings that don't appear to be similar to any photos I have found of the Pygmy Date Palm variety. I am aware it is difficult to identify seedlings but as these are multi-stemmed would anybody like to have an educated guess?

Nice to meet you, as my friends have already said, is not palm

[Darold Petty]

Cohannon,  Welcome to Palmtalk !   

[Cohannon]

Hi guys .... I bow to your superior knowledge and thank you for educating me. It would seem that all the palm seeds failed to germinate and I am left with some "grass" seedlings that were dormant in the moss used in the baggy method. Not an auspicious start but today I have ordered Pygmy Date Palm seeds from several UK based reputable sources and will try again once they arrive in St Helena. Given this lovely sub-tropical climate I am all the more determined to cultivate a few feature dwarf palms around the property. Wish me luck 🤪

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, Cohannon said:

Wish me luck 🤪

Best of luck with the Pygmy Date seeds.  They grow well in a container - I carried a potted palm around for 17 years keeping it outside for 9 months and indoors for 3 months before I finally moved to a place where I could plant it in the ground.  Phoenix roebelenii seedlings do look like small blades of grass when they first germinate!

Where I live all kinds of unwanted plants appear in containers left outside unattended.  This container has been empty since July but now it's covered with spurge, grass, ash trees, spent rose petals and assorted unknown weeds!  😣

[meridannight]

I would also caution against buying seeds from unknown and Chinese sources. China is well known for sending weed seeds instead of whatever you ordered. The fact that all your containers sprouted the same type of grass and just one from the looks of it, I would say it's not that your palm seeds didn't sprout, but they probably weren't palm seeds to begin with. Weeds can and do sprout in containers, but they're more random and erratic than what you got there.

[happypalms]

Greetings at least you have some rabbit food now.