Jubaea Chilensis blooming young enough to reach the spathe.

[bruce Steele]

[kinzyjr]

They look amazing at any size.

[bruce Steele]

Same Jubaea about five years ago.

[richnorm]

That's really young to be flowering. I would take that as an opportunity to try hybridisation!

[bruce Steele]

Last year was its first bloom. No seeds set. There is a new spathe and yes it would be a handy donor , no ladder or scaffold necessary . 

[Scott W]

I'd be interested in getting pollen from you for some hybridization experiments, as there is no ready source here in Florida.

[awkonradi]

4 hours ago, Scott W said:

I'd be interested in getting pollen from you for some hybridization experiments, as there is no ready source here in Florida.

Need to work out logistics for Jubaea x Attalea and Attalea x Jubaea.

[zero]

20 hours ago, richnorm said:

That's really young to be flowering. I would take that as an opportunity to try hybridisation!

Exactly what I was thinking when I first read it.  I was going to offer to send @bruce Steele some rare Syagrus romanzoffiana pollen in exchange for a seedling!

[Hu Palmeras]

Please do nothing. They'll become palm hybridizers. These Jubaea are breathtakingly majestic. And you haven't even seen their full splendor yet.

[bruce Steele]

 

. Sexton Historic Grove (5490 Hollister Avenue) in Santa Barbara is the former site of the nursery of Joseph Sexton. The nursery commenced operation at this location in 1869, and, by 1877, Sexton offered Jubaea chilensis for sale in his catalog. Stately, old specimens of Jubaea can still be found throughout the city, such as those at 2044 Garden Street; the oldest are likely the legacy of Sexton’s horticultural activities.

 Sadly one of the original Sexton Jubaea’s was trimmed with dirty sheers and has succumbed. There is another still doing well at Josheph Sexton’s old nursery site , a couple blocks from the dead one by the Goleta hospital. There are two more at Stowe House in Goleta and some in downtown Santa Barbara also from plantings over 125 years ago. 
   re: pollen   I will try to see if I can get some pollen . I have collected pollen from a date palm but they have male or female blooms. I assume getting pollen is best attempted as soon as the spathe opens. I guess if I ever got a chance I would love to see a Jubaea x  Jubaeopsis . 
 There are lots and lots of viable Jubaea seed available in SB. I think germinating them is more important than hybrids but in spite of over 125 years of availability there are very few that ever seem to show up in peoples yards.  I have five in the ground and I have been growing them for friends who can give them a nice home. I also have lots of luck growing Parajubaea Cocodies, maybe someday I will try a Cocoides x Jubaea but plenty happy with just germinating the seeds add getting them a home somewhere. 

[Scott W]

On 3/16/2026 at 8:04 PM, Hu Palmeras said:

Please do nothing. They'll become palm hybridizers. These Jubaea are breathtakingly majestic. And you haven't even seen their full splendor yet.

Lol I already am a palm hybridizer, it's why I want the pollen.

I have one of the only known live Jubaea growing in ground here in NE Florida, but as most know, historically they do not live or survive to maturity here.  Hence the need for pollen, as the hybrids do. 

If you are willing to send some pollen we can talk more in private about the process.  Thanks for the consideration.

[bruce Steele]

Scott, I am willing to try collecting pollen but the Jubaea isn’t in my yard so checking for when the spathe opens is intermittent.  
I am a farmer and collect seed so I understand how to dry seed for storage. Go ahead and describe pollen collection on this thread because others may be interested. 
 

[Mazat]

On 3/14/2026 at 3:50 AM, bruce Steele said:

Great, Bruce.

[bruce Steele]

Here are some potential donors. The spathe opened but the blooms have just started. I am keeping the blooms in a paper bag to open. I left most of the spathe on the tree. Hanging in a window with lots of sun and southern exposure. 

[bruce Steele]

I think you could put a bag over the whole spathe . It is beautiful in all its glory. 

[Banana Belt]

On 3/28/2026 at 5:22 PM, bruce Steele said:

I think you could put a bag over the whole spathe . It is beautiful in all its glory. 

What does the whole flower weigh, not including the Spathe.  Flowers off the Jubaea in my yard weigh up to 40 lbs when freshly open from the Spathe.

[bruce Steele]

Maybe ten pounds ? I put a grocery bag up to it and got some pollen without doing any damage. There was pollen visible in the breeze as I worked. Scott W said he would like some.

[Scott W]

Nice Bruce!  I have a few Butia spathes getting ready to open, so fresh pollen would be great for trying to make some hybrids!

[Banana Belt]

On 3/15/2026 at 9:04 PM, bruce Steele said:

no ladder or scaffold necessary .

The Jubaea I have are 44 years old and about 18 feet to reach the flowers.  It takes an extension ladder to reach the blooms and some contortion to move around the leaves to access.  I have cut off some of the blooms to be used for pollination and they are heavy as hell  First time I cut an entire bloom and holding on to it, it almost pulled me out of the tree it was so heavy.  Everything in and on a Jubaea is heavy and dense, a freshly cut mature log must weigh many tons, several times as much as any other log.