I can’t believe I managed to get these ceroxylon seeds to germinat. I wasnt doubting the quality of seeds. I was more worried about my climate being to warm for once, pretty well much sown at the start of summer so my fear was was that I wasn’t going to be able to keep them cool enough to germinate. It was a long hot summer, so the seeds were kept inside on tile floor in the coolest part of the house. So nearly 6 months later they are a popping. Not sure what I will do with them I might have to send them to the polar bear growers down south! 

Well done I got some quindiuense to sprout from the last RPS batch, I checked a couple of the parvifrons and found they had no embryo.

 

46 minutes ago, happypalms said:

I can’t believe I managed to get these ceroxylon seeds to germinat. I wasnt doubting the quality of seeds. I was more worried about my climate being to warm for once, pretty well much sown at the start of summer so my fear was was that I wasn’t going to be able to keep them cool enough to germinate. It was a long hot summer, so the seeds were kept inside on tile floor in the coolest part of the house. So nearly 6 months later they are a popping. Not sure what I will do with them I might have to send them to the polar bear growers down south! 

You might have to because mine are being very recalcitrant! I had them out in the shadehouse over summer assuming they'd like it cool, but maybe it was too cool. Got them on mid 20's in the propagator now, so hopefully something happens. Personally I blame Tim Brissy for sending me all the floaters!

Also...have never had problems germinating Ceroxylon species in the past, which is frustrating now that I've got seeds of the one I've always wanted...Bah Humbug!!

I have some of the same seed batch and they are germinating well.

About 50% to date. In a baggie outside in a shady spot here in NZ.

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

You might have to because mine are being very recalcitrant! I had them out in the shadehouse over summer assuming they'd like it cool, but maybe it was too cool. Got them on mid 20's in the propagator now, so hopefully something happens. Personally I blame Tim Brissy for sending me all the floaters!

Excuses excuses, you polar bears need a a germinating lesson! But honestly would Tim our president of the southern palm mafia chapter send you the floater iam shocked at such accusations! I reckon it’s the happypalms knack!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

ps hopefully I can get a few to you 

1 hour ago, David B said:

I have some of the same seed batch and they are germinating well.

About 50% to date. In a baggie outside in a shady spot here in NZ.

Good stuff, great you kiwis can give the Tasmanians a run for there money across the ditch!

2 hours ago, alzo said:

Well done I got some quindiuense to sprout from the last RPS batch, I checked a couple of the parvifrons and found they had no embryo.

 

It seems they are a popular variety of palm, globally!

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

Also...have never had problems germinating Ceroxylon species in the past, which is frustrating now that I've got seeds of the one I've always wanted...Bah Humbug!!

Blame @tim_brissy_13

11 hours ago, happypalms said:

Blame @tim_brissy_13

I do, I have!

The fact that he hasn't stepped up to defend his honour, seals his guilt.

2 hours ago, Jonathan said:

I do, I have!

The fact that he hasn't stepped up to defend his honour, seals his guilt.

Sorry mate, kept all the good ones for myself 😉

I have a question for you Australian friends, but does Ceroxylon grow in your area? Are there adult plants? Here in southern Europe they die in the summer due to the heat, I have tried 3/4 species, germination is easy

1 hour ago, gyuseppe said:

I have a question for you Australian friends, but does Ceroxylon grow in your area? Are there adult plants? Here in southern Europe they die in the summer due to the heat, I have tried 3/4 species, germination is easy

Hi Guiseppe. I’m not aware of any mature specimen in Melbourne, but that’s more due to their slow growth and relatively recent introduction to cultivation here I think. There are a number of long term survivors growing well including in my garden, but they need at least filtered light or shade when small. I think there may be a mature Ceroxylon alpinum in Sydney. 
 

I lost many seedlings years ago when temperatures got up to 46.4C but a Ceroxylon alpinum is still growing well today from that batch. Moisture and shade are important. 

23 hours ago, happypalms said:

I can’t believe I managed to get these ceroxylon seeds to germinat. I wasnt doubting the quality of seeds. I was more worried about my climate being to warm for once, pretty well much sown at the start of summer so my fear was was that I wasn’t going to be able to keep them cool enough to germinate. It was a long hot summer, so the seeds were kept inside on tile floor in the coolest part of the house. So nearly 6 months later they are a popping. Not sure what I will do with them I might have to send them to the polar bear growers down south! 

Next challenge for you will be keeping seedlings alive during next summer. 

9 hours ago, Jonathan said:

I do, I have!

The fact that he hasn't stepped up to defend his honour, seals his guilt.

 

6 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

Sorry mate, kept all the good ones for myself 😉

 

20 hours ago, happypalms said:

Blame @tim_brissy_13

I have a theory, that if initial germination conditions (temp, substrate, moisture) are far from ideal beyond a certain limit, something occurs within the endosperm, which inhibits still alive  embryo to become active, it is something like a shielding.

12 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Next challenge for you will be keeping seedlings alive during next summer. 

Richard I'm sorry to say this, but we are here to share our experiences 

Konstantinos I totally agree

6 hours ago, gyuseppe said:

I have a question for you Australian friends, but does Ceroxylon grow in your area? Are there adult plants? Here in southern Europe they die in the summer due to the heat, I have tried 3/4 species, germination is easy

Yes gyuseppe just the other day I was in touch with the friend who gives me the rare rainforest seeds and he has one alive that has two metres of trunk. The climate he has is temperate that is south of Sydney, just to give you a location of the palm. In an area where Colin Wilson lives. 

4 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

 

 

I have a theory, that if initial germination conditions (temp, substrate, moisture) are far from ideal beyond a certain limit, something occurs within the endosperm, which inhibits still alive  embryo to become active, it is something like a shielding.

Evolution at its best! 

3 hours ago, gyuseppe said:

Richard I'm sorry to say this, but we are here to share our experiences 

Konstantinos I totally agree

Well I can only try, iam sort of hoping in the greenhouse they stand a better chance than out in the garden! 

4 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Next challenge for you will be keeping seedlings alive during next summer. 

They won’t be going in the ground anytime soon. With temperatures up to 40 degrees at times in summer, it’s going to be interesting this challenge. 

16 minutes ago, happypalms said:

They won’t be going in the ground anytime soon. With temperatures up to 40 degrees at times in summer, it’s going to be interesting this challenge. 

Best wishes nonetheless. How do you plan to protect potted seedlings from 40 C (in shade?)  and high air humidity?

39 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Best wishes nonetheless. How do you plan to protect potted seedlings from 40 C (in shade?)  and high air humidity?

In the greenhouse that’s the only place I have that wine cool enough, by keeping it wet in summer. But iam not that confident from what iam hearing about them. It’s the complete opposite to winter killing many of my tropical palms, only it’s the heat this time killing my cool temperate palms. 

Indeed evaporation lowers the surrounding air temperature but you have to spray every couple minutes and keep at same time Ceroxyla dry.  Besides dunno how big is going to be the difference in temperature, just it is going to be lower inside, provided you have abundant and cheap water supply. Imho you will have to erect a tall shade house with opposite facing windows wide open (meaning potential entrance for various critters) and surface gaps of about 1/3 to ceiling gaps.

3 hours ago, happypalms said:

Yes gyuseppe just the other day I was in touch with the friend who gives me the rare rainforest seeds and he has one alive that has two metres of trunk. The climate he has is temperate that is south of Sydney, just to give you a location of the palm. In an area where Colin Wilson lives. 

so there is hope that it can live in your country too, if so good luck, also because in the future you might have seeds of an uncommon species

On 5/8/2026 at 8:51 PM, Jonathan said:

Also...have never had problems germinating Ceroxylon species in the past, which is frustrating now that I've got seeds of the one I've always wanted...Bah Humbug!!

I have had 2/8 pop from same batch.  They are in my germination box - a plastic ice cream box with barely damp vermiculite/perlite that sits behind an arm chair in my sitting room.  It gets some sun in the cooler months so it probably quite warm for a few hours some days but mostly room temperature.  If I had lots I would have just put them in a pot in the shadehouse but these are too precious to risk hungry rodents.

9 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Indeed evaporation lowers the surrounding air temperature but you have to spray every couple minutes and keep at same time Ceroxyla dry.  Besides dunno how big is going to be the difference in temperature, just it is going to be lower inside, provided you have abundant and cheap water supply. Imho you will have to erect a tall shade house with opposite facing windows wide open (meaning potential entrance for various critters) and surface gaps of about 1/3 to ceiling gaps.

Yes apart from a million dollar climate controled environment my odds are pretty slim in my climate, I do know of a couple of cool climate growers so they may destined for those places. Wait and see how many I get I may keep a few to try and the rest shipped out to a much better climate that would suite them. They were originally purchased due to a request from another grower who consequently later purchased their own seeds. The cool climate growers got pretty excited when they were released from rps. 

9 hours ago, gyuseppe said:

so there is hope that it can live in your country too, if so good luck, also because in the future you might have seeds of an uncommon species

Oh it will live here, Australia has a very unique climate all in one day it can be snowing, bushfires drought and flooding all 4 seasons in one day just pick which location you want to be in! 

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

Did Tim send one down to you express postage, whos a cropping now 🌱

45 minutes ago, happypalms said:

Did Tim send one down to you express postage, whos a cropping now 🌱

Guess I got lucky! 

Pretty relieved actually, was starting to think I'd lost my mojo.

11 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Guess I got lucky! 

Pretty relieved actually, was starting to think I'd lost my mojo.

I was starting to get worried there for a bit, we can’t have any mafia gang members not contributing to the gang. And we can’t get  the boss @palmtreesforpleasure getting involved, now can we . 🤣