My Heterospathes

[Mandrew968]

I really like this genus. I think it's a real winner for South Florida. First up is what I purchased as Heterospathe scitula. I love the color of the new leaf.

[Jeff Searle]

It has the look of H. scitula, I used to have several of them up to 4'. But only if it's suckering......

[Mandrew968]

Again, Heterospathe scitula. I really really like this palm--purple new leaf!!!

[Halekuma]

Looks great, any idea how cold sensitive is it?

Also, do you guys have experience with heterospathe delicatula? Isnt it considered the more cold hardy along minor?

[Mandrew968]

I have delicatula, but as far as Heterospathe is concerned, they are all cold tolerant for my place. Sorry I don't know their limits, but if you don't get frost or freeze for very long, you might be good with this genus.

[Halekuma]

Thanks Mandrew, so the limits of +5C on the net for species like elata are wrong?

[Cindy Adair]

Nice new purple leaf. I've never even heard of that species but would certainly like to give it a try. Besides the ones in the photos (hover for names), I have. H. longipes and H. deliculata, all seedlings. I'd enjoy more photos if anyone else cares to add theirs!

[Mandrew968]

Thanks Mandrew, so the limits of +5C on the net for species like elata are wrong?

I don't know much about celcius, but there are many Heterospathe elatas around South Florida and we freeze, occasionally(for brief moments).

[realarch]

Good luck all with your Heterospathe's, it's a nice genus. I've got a couple here in Hilo, H. intermedia and one I acquired as H.phillipsii and both have the stunning new red/bronze leaf.

The H. phillipsii name on mine is suspect, I think it's something else.

[Mandrew968]

This is my Heterospathe longipes.

[realarch]

Here's a pic of what I acquired as H. phillipsii, but honestly I doubt it is that. None the less, it's a beautiful palm and

incredibly trouble free. There were three plants in the same 1 gal. pot, so it is not a clumper. The new leaf varies from

maroon to bronze and holds it color for quite awhile. I also have a couple of H. intermedia in pots and they have the same

colorful leaf as well.

[sarasota alex]

Thanks Mandrew, so the limits of +5C on the net for species like elata are wrong?

I don't know much about celcius, but there are many Heterospathe elatas around South Florida and we freeze, occasionally(for brief moments).

There is also a tall H. elata growing at the Selby Gardens in Sarasota and our winter lows are colder than in South Florida.

[Cindy Adair]

Thanks for the photos! Hope mine are still alive.

[Jason in Orlando]

Thanks Mandrew, so the limits of +5C on the net for species like elata are wrong?

I don't know much about celcius, but there are many Heterospathe elatas around South Florida and we freeze, occasionally(for brief moments).

There is also a tall H. elata growing at the Selby Gardens in Sarasota and our winter lows are colder than in South Florida.

Where at Selby is it located?

[sarasota alex]

Thanks Mandrew, so the limits of +5C on the net for species like elata are wrong?

I don't know much about celcius, but there are many Heterospathe elatas around South Florida and we freeze, occasionally(for brief moments).

There is also a tall H. elata growing at the Selby Gardens in Sarasota and our winter lows are colder than in South Florida.

Where at Selby is it located?

Jason it's next to an Arenga australasica clump on that little circle where there is also a Colpothrinax and other stuff. I'll look through my photos to be more exact.

[realarch]

That H. longipes is really nice, you don't see too many of those around. That new leaf color is pretty sweet.

[Mandrew968]

Thanks Mandrew, so the limits of +5C on the net for species like elata are wrong?

I don't know much about celcius, but there are many Heterospathe elatas around South Florida and we freeze, occasionally(for brief moments).

There is also a tall H. elata growing at the Selby Gardens in Sarasota and our winter lows are colder than in South Florida.

Where at Selby is it located?

Jason it's next to an Arenga australasica clump on that little circle where there is also a Colpothrinax and other stuff. I'll look through my photos to be more exact.

Colpothrinax??? That's not an easy palm to grow, nor is it anything but rare. Part of me is not even believing it... Alex--you know palms, so Colpothrinax? Can you possibly get a photo? From what I know, wrightii needs water close by/dark heavy clay soil and cookii may be just as difficult and exacting with its' requirements(most of the ones I have seen were on death's door).

[sarasota alex]

Thanks Mandrew, so the limits of +5C on the net for species like elata are wrong?

I don't know much about celcius, but there are many Heterospathe elatas around South Florida and we freeze, occasionally(for brief moments).

There is also a tall H. elata growing at the Selby Gardens in Sarasota and our winter lows are colder than in South Florida.

Where at Selby is it located?

Jason it's next to an Arenga australasica clump on that little circle where there is also a Colpothrinax and other stuff. I'll look through my photos to be more exact.

Colpothrinax??? That's not an easy palm to grow, nor is it anything but rare. Part of me is not even believing it... Alex--you know palms, so Colpothrinax? Can you possibly get a photo? From what I know, wrightii needs water close by/dark heavy clay soil and cookii may be just as difficult and exacting with its' requirements(most of the ones I have seen were on death's door).

Andrew I should have a picture somewhere. If I don't find one, I'll just shoot a new one next time I'm there.

[sonoranfans]

This is my Heterospathe longipes.

beautiful palm...

[Mandrew968]

This is my Heterospathe longipes.

beautiful palm...

Thank you

[sarasota alex]

Thanks Mandrew, so the limits of +5C on the net for species like elata are wrong?

I don't know much about celcius, but there are many Heterospathe elatas around South Florida and we freeze, occasionally(for brief moments).

There is also a tall H. elata growing at the Selby Gardens in Sarasota and our winter lows are colder than in South Florida.

Where at Selby is it located?

Jason it's next to an Arenga australasica clump on that little circle where there is also a Colpothrinax and other stuff. I'll look through my photos to be more exact.

Colpothrinax??? That's not an easy palm to grow, nor is it anything but rare. Part of me is not even believing it... Alex--you know palms, so Colpothrinax? Can you possibly get a photo? From what I know, wrightii needs water close by/dark heavy clay soil and cookii may be just as difficult and exacting with its' requirements(most of the ones I have seen were on death's door).

Below are pictures of Heterospathe elata and Colpothrinax cookii from Selby Botanical Gardens

[humangenomaproject]

Here is a pic of one of my Heterospathe Barfodii (Glauca). Cool palm brought in by the Wilson Botanic Garden years back and now several local nurseries in San Vito, Costa Rica sell them.

http://i1336.photobucket.com/albums/o642/Jason_Mark_Hughes/photo28_zps7d21d26e.jpg

[Mandrew968]

Nice! It looks like it's doing alright. How cold would you say it gets, Alex?

[realarch]

Jason, nice looking palm and so un-Heterospathe like. That silvery white color is really nice.

Tim

[humangenomaproject]

Tons of controversy on this one Tim as it's supposedly the only one in the genus with a crown shaft. It rains VERY hard here and the white tomentum you mention stays on like glue (as JM mentions in his first set of videos with Dean). The botanic garden here is just teeming with different species that are roughly 30-40 years old so it is cool to see many of these species grown as second generation plants (The Dypsis Decipiens and Burretiokentia Veillieardi are huge and have seeded for years now).

[Peter Pacific]

This is a great genus. Tim that's a choice phillipsii. I have a couple of elatas that have been put in the ground last year and haven't stopped. The large copper colored new leaves are beautiful.

[realarch]

Thanks Jason, I know there was a fair amount of interest about this palm and the crownshaft thing.

Peter, I think the H. philippsii moniker is suspect, so I'm not sure what the species is. Here is a shot of the

the crown with a bit of tomentum on the leaf sheaths.

Tim

[sarasota alex]

Nice! It looks like it's doing alright. How cold would you say it gets, Alex?

This is how cold it was at the SRQ airport in January of 2010.

I estimate that Selby's lows were 2-3 degrees higher than the airport, but the daytime highs were about the same. So there was still a 72 hour stretch of 45 and below and there were still wet nights in the low 30's and at least a couple below freezing. Overall the stretch of Jan-Mar of 2010 was the coldest three month stretch in the Sarasota history. January - 6 degrees below normal, February - 8, March - 6.

The following winter was also brutal in Dec of 2010. With temps dropping to 27 at SRQ so a good chance that this Heterospathe elata saw temps in high 20s. Dec 2010 was 11 degrees below normal.

My picture was taken in July of 2011 so it didn't really have that much time to recover. I don't remember seeing it with any noticeable damage at any point.

We haven't seen any sub-32 temps at the airport in over 2 years (since Dec 2010) and Selby probably hasn't dropped below 36 since then.

[Ken Johnson]

I have never seen any good scientific work on this genus. Can someone help me with some links? I am always confused with these palms.

[sarasota alex]

Ken I don't think I've ever seen a Heterospathe-only study, but this one includes it http://www.amjbot.org/content/93/7/1065.full.pdf

[Mandrew968]

Here is a fairly recent shot of my Heterospathe longipes.

[Walter John]

looks great andrew..

[Mandrew968]

Just a sweet color on this palm--love that longipes!

[Mandrew968]

Back comes the heat, sun and rain and out comes the longipes leaf. As with many of my rainforest palms, I find some tend to have periods of the year where they grow faster than others--this is a wet season lover and should start to speed up now.

[SubTropicRay]

Since Colpothrinax was mentioned above......Colpothrinax cookii is a cold hardy palm. Mine withstood 26F (under canopy perhaps 28-29F) during the very cold 2009-2010 winter wthout damage. I'll repeat, without damage. It's very slow growing and nearly impossible to find in cultivation. Mine was a gift from the late John Bishock and has been in the garden since 1999.

[edric]

I really like this genus. I think it's a real winner for South Florida. First up is what I purchased as Heterospathe scitula. I love the color of the new leaf.

Very nice Andrew, you're in for a surprise, when I'm done adding another 8 new Geonoma, I've got 11 new Heterospathe species to enter, probably in a couple of weeks, keep an eye out, Ed

[Mandrew968]

Since Colpothrinax was mentioned above......Colpothrinax cookii is a cold hardy palm. Mine withstood 26F (under canopy perhaps 28-29F) during the very cold 2009-2010 winter wthout damage. I'll repeat, without damage. It's very slow growing and nearly impossible to find in cultivation. Mine was a gift from the late John Bishock and has been in the garden since 1999.

You are right about rare, but here is one-they like to grow sideways sorry for hurting any necks...

[Mandrew968]

My Heterospathe intermedia is enjoying the wet season and extra sunlight...

[Mandrew968]

Since Alex posted that link to that scientific paper, I thought I might add some of the palms mentioned in that research; The first is what I bought as Heterospathe brassii, later to find out it's actually a Rhopaloblaste. The species is ledermanniana; it was a little cone when I planted it.

[Mandrew968]

This palm was also mentioned in that scientific paper that Alex is always great about producing--very knowledgeable guy... Once Heterospathe micrantha--it has now been put into its own genus named after the Godfather of palms himself; Dransfieldia micrantha. A slow palm indeed! and not as cold sensitive as was reputed when i pulled the trigger on this one...