Troy’s Ropalostylis thread got me thinking about the Chatham Island form. The photo of me with the huge one is from back in 2010 or thereabouts. The next one is taken today with my 2nd generation offspring grown from seed at my home. I planted it in 2012 from one gallon pot. 

Wow , those are quite a bit larger than my Sapida was . Is this a trait of that variety , huge size? Harry

Yes they are more robust and seem more durable. Here’s another photo of the one in my former home 

This is an old image of mine, grown from a 1-gallon start.

4 hours ago, pogobob said:

Troy’s Ropalostylis thread got me thinking about the Chatham Island form. The photo of me with the huge one is from back in 2010 or thereabouts. The next one is taken today with my 2nd generation offspring grown from seed at my home. I planted it in 2012 from one gallon pot. 

Awesome Bob 

I germinated mine from your original specimen 

https://youtu.be/NCFZ5hi1-3E?si=Rl5mdy1jbar8PvfV

Just now, Tassie_Troy1971 said:

Awesome Bob 

I germinated mine from your original specimen 

https://youtu.be/NCFZ5hi1-3E?si=Rl5mdy1jbar8PvfV

See the video 

 

This was my R. Sapida the year it got hit with the Death Ray of 2018 . Within two years , it was dead. The heatwave also killed one of my Howea Foresteriana. I believe it would have survived had it had some shade . It was noticeably less robust than the Chatham Island form that I see on this thread. Harry

Sorry , this is one of the only pics I could find of the palm. I grew it from a 4” seedling band . 

‘Once it got overheated by the heat wave , it did this and died shortly after.🙁 Understandably , I really don’t like this picture. This was two years after the other pic. It was a slow , painful process. Harry

Sorry for your losses, Harry.  

Thanks Darold , I have replaced it recently with a R. Baueri Cheesmania . This time in shade on the cool side of the house. Live and learn. Harry

Every palm loss is an opportunity to refine and improve your landscape !   I used to get really upset when a special palm died*,

Lately, not so much,  sort of... "grow or die, whatever" !  

* Parajubaea cocoides, 12 feet of wood trunk

Lepidorrhachis, two plants with 30 inches of trunk each

Hedyscepe, 10 feet of trunk below the crownshaft

Prestoea acuminata v. acuminata 30 inches of 4 inch diameter trunk

Geonoma undata, red leafbase from Dick Endt  9 feet of wood trunk

Howea forsteriana,  30 inches of swollen 'elephant foot' trunk, killed after rats chewed off all the fronds, then infection by bacterium or fungus  

Laccospadix, 5 gallon with red flush as strong as a Chambeyronia

Yeah that big July 2018 death Ray was a bummer. 
 

More surprising what it didn’t kill… 

12 hours ago, pogobob said:

Troy’s Ropalostylis thread got me thinking about the Chatham Island form. The photo of me with the huge one is from back in 2010 or thereabouts. The next one is taken today with my 2nd generation offspring grown from seed at my home. I planted it in 2012 from one gallon pot. 

How are you sure that original specimen had not hybridised with other Ropalostylis spp?

8 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

This was my R. Sapida the year it got hit with the Death Ray of 2018 . Within two years , it was dead. The heatwave also killed one of my Howea Foresteriana. I believe it would have survived had it had some shade . It was noticeably less robust than the Chatham Island form that I see on this thread. Harry

Sorry , this is one of the only pics I could find of the palm. I grew it from a 4” seedling band . 

‘Once it got overheated by the heat wave , it did this and died shortly after.🙁 Understandably , I really don’t like this picture. This was two years after the other pic. It was a slow , painful process. Harry

Wow Harry your not wrong mate 

Where are you located Arizona or something 🤔 

12 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

This is an old image of mine, grown from a 1-gallon start.

Darold your Chatham island form has a huge circumference of the crown shaft

Darolds Garden is like a museum for different types of Rhopalostylis.

perfect maritime climate 

2 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

How are you sure that original specimen had not hybridised with other Ropalostylis spp?

From my experience the Chatham islands flower at different times to my other Rhopalostylis 

16 minutes ago, Tassie_Troy1971 said:

Darold your Chatham island form has a huge circumference of the crown shaft

Darolds Garden is like a museum for different types of Rhopalostylis.

perfect maritime climate 

From my experience the Chatham islands flower at different times to my other Rhopalostylis 

This is precisely, what I have been expecting to read.

14 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

This was my R. Sapida the year it got hit with the Death Ray of 2018 . Within two years , it was dead. The heatwave also killed one of my Howea Foresteriana. I believe it would have survived had it had some shade . It was noticeably less robust than the Chatham Island form that I see on this thread. Harry

Sorry , this is one of the only pics I could find of the palm. I grew it from a 4” seedling band . 

‘Once it got overheated by the heat wave , it did this and died shortly after.🙁 Understandably , I really don’t like this picture. This was two years after the other pic. It was a slow , painful process. Harry

☹️, very sad, Harry.

21 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Thanks Darold , I have replaced it recently with a R. Baueri Cheesmania . This time in shade on the cool side of the house. Live and learn. Harry

You’re gonna love that thing no matter how big it gets!

Wowoeowo amazing 

This season in NZ.

Chathams have flowered once or twice but the kermadecs haven't started yet. Last seasons seed is just maturing on the kermadecs

3 hours ago, David B said:

This season in NZ.

Chathams have flowered once or twice but the kermadecs haven't started yet. Last seasons seed is just maturing on the kermadecs

Only in NZ does Hedyscepe get relegated to the background of a shot without mention. Amazing!

1 hour ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

Only in NZ does Hedyscepe get relegated to the background of a shot without mention. Amazing!

Only you would notice Sherlock!

On 12/20/2025 at 1:37 AM, Tassie_Troy1971 said:

Wow Harry your not wrong mate 

Where are you located Arizona or something 🤔 

Well , in retrospect it was my fault . That is in a courtyard that is the warmest spot in our yard. During record heat waves like we experienced in 2018 , it turned into an oven , cooking anything below the roof line . We had three to four days above 105f with very little night time cooling. That is rare for our area . I lost two palms and some lost more . I’m so glad that I didn’t lose more palms. I have several Howea around my house that survived but got their fronds cooked . @DoomsDave calls it “ The Death Ray of 2018” he lost a few palms as well . Normally we have warm summers with nice cooling in the evenings . Our summers average in the low to mid 80f range . The Rhopalostylus grew very slowly in that spot but did ok and looked nice , I had no idea that they were sensitive to our inland summer warmth ( 20 miles from the beach ). The death ray was a fatal blow . Two blocks from me , three other Rhopies met with the same fate. Harry

15 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

You’re gonna love that thing no matter how big it gets!

Yes , since adopting that palm from your extensive collection , it has doubled in size! That is the third frond since it came home with me. From what I’m told , it is a bit more resistant to our inland climate than R.  Sapida . It has cruised through a couple of heat waves already . Perhaps the Chatham Island variety is more hardy as well. The ones posted on this thread look like monsters compared to my old R. Sapida I had. Harry

For Tim

 

Merry Xmas  

Fabulous specimen of Hedyscepe 

Where in NZ are you located  ?

In Tauranga. On the coast 2 hours drive SW of Auckland. Possibly similar climate to yours?

LHI stuff seems pretty happy

Yes same here 

Hedyscepe canterburyana grows like escapees in the ground and Leppidorachis mooreana.

 

10 hours ago, David B said:

In Tauranga. On the coast 2 hours drive SW of Auckland. Possibly similar climate to yours?

LHI stuff seems pretty happy

Reckon you're a couple of degrees warmer than Hobart...we're probably closer to Wellington averages. 

Fantastic looking Hedy and seedlings, great work!