Livistona chinensis not seeding

[Lou-StAugFL]

I have three huge 20' tall Livistona chinensis Chinese fan palms that have never fruited.  I'd like to get seeds to propagate.  They don't seem as popular in our area as they did back in the 80s and 90s.  Anyone know why?

[Harry’s Palms]

I’m really not sure why they lost popularity. Here , in Southern California , they were in every nursery . I got one on clearance for a very good price and planted it down near the bottom of my hill . It was in a 10” pot , that was 28 years ago and it barely has 4’ of trunk but it is huge! I’m glad I didn’t plant it in my garden , the palm is way too large for my garden but looks awesome down on the hill. It has never been fussed over or bothered by my gopher problem . The only negative , other than its size , is the teeth . Mine has not produced any inflorescence to date so I don’t know about seeds , my guess is they are slow to germinate. Harry

I think the size and armed petiole kept some folks from enjoying this species . They are care free , but grow very slowly which may also be why they aren’t readily available any more. Sad , because they are beautiful palms , in my humble opinion. Harry

[kinzyjr]

2 hours ago, Lou-StAugFL said:

I have three huge 20' tall Livistona chinensis Chinese fan palms that have never fruited.  I'd like to get seeds to propagate.  They don't seem as popular in our area as they did back in the 80s and 90s.  Anyone know why?

We've got a bunch of Livistona species that were planted around town in place of the now-deceased Phoenix dactylifera that never flower or set fruit.  It's odd, because they set fruit in various other locations frequently.  Have yours ever flowered?

[Looking Glass]

Mine normally flower like crazy in February and produce 100s of pounds of seeds by the end of the year of you don’t chop the stalks off.  It gets pretty messy.   

This past year was very dry, and I also used some weed killer on the lawn…. Not really any flowers for the first time since we’ve lived here.   

Seeds will root in anywhere they can.  Especially in bromeliads.  

[Fusca]

My Livistona chinensis produces plenty of dark green fruits every year but for some reason they don't turn the typical bluish color when ripe.  Seeds still germinate.  Mine doesn't have petiole thorns - some do and some don't.   @Lou-StAugFL, maybe you could apply some high phosphorus fertilizer in early spring to encourage flowering.  I've had good results with this.

[happypalms]

It will flower one day, it may be in a weeks time to 20 years time you just never know when a palm is going to. 
Intresting question and a good one if we could predict when a palm will flower that we pull be rather helpful. Water temperature age only Mother Nature knows that answer. 

[SeanK]

7 hours ago, Lou-StAugFL said:

I have three huge 20' tall Livistona chinensis Chinese fan palms that have never fruited.  I'd like to get seeds to propagate.  They don't seem as popular in our area as they did back in the 80s and 90s.  Anyone know why?

We don't even see them as houseplants, 20 to a PT anymore. Those from @Looking Glass are beautiful.

[Looking Glass]

They just got a bit common I think, but they are actually very nice.  Tough, undemanding, and pretty tropical looking for fan palm.   Those fronds wave nicely in a breeze.   They are a little slow, which is more good than bad.  They are fairly messy though with all the flowers, seeds and hair that drops off, so not the best for over a pool or walkway.   

[Bkue]

I have 9 in Oviedo fl from 10-18ft wood. 5yrs in ground. Tons of growth. No seeds or signs. Not really interested so never crossed my mind. In 2 clusters. Now I’m wondering.