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New! Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island Date Palm)

The King of Palms!

About the Canary Island Date Palm

This palm, surprisingly, originates in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago just off the North West Coast of Africa. The Canary Island Date Palm is large & imposing, up to 20m tall. It provides a true feature in the garden with its huge, solid trunk, and long, arching feather leaves. Trunks are marked with old leaf scars. This palm bears yellow flowers, following by orange to dark red fruit with 1 large seed.

Phoenix canariensis would be great planted along streets or driveways, as a feature palm in the middle of a lawn, or even as a container palm while small. Although the fruit is edible, like other Date Palms, the size of the fruit is very small, making it hardly worth it.

Growing the Canary Island Date Palm

This palm is very hardy and is quite fast growing, especially once it starts forming a trunk. It gets large and will need to be given plenty of room. Petioles have spines on them, so keep these plants away from walkways. Choose a position in full sun, in well draining soil. The Canary Island Date Palm is frost tolerant to around -10 and also very drought tolerant. Fertilise with a slow release fertiliser in spring and summer. Mulch well, but keep mulch away from the trunk.

Coconut Palm Myths – True or False

• Coconut water contains growth hormones that can grow almost anything.

TRUE; coconut water contains 4 plant growth hormones or cytokinins and has 3 sets of chromosomes (triploid) it can donate genetic material and stimulate growth in many organisms. Coconut water is the father of our modern tissue culture science and is still widely used in orchid propagation. There is current research into hair loss prevention as well as wide acceptance in anti aging cosmetic products.

• Coconut oil is saturated fat and causes heart disease”

FALSE; unlike animal saturated fats which are long chain triglycerides, coconut oil contains MCT’s median chain triglycerides which metabolise easily, even without the need for bile from the gall bladder. Coconut oil provides ready energy and has an accelerating effect on metabolism. There is no credible link to heart disease but a mass of misinformation has been circulated by other edible oil lobbies in the quest for market share at the expense of lauric oils (palm and coconut), our health, and truth.

• Coconuts are more dangerous than shark attacks”

FALSE; some questionable research findings from coconut plantations, formally noted for scientific irrelevance have been broadcast by insurance interests to extract higher public liability premiums from wealthy coconut owners. Most insurance claims relate to vehicles being parked under coconut palms, which presents more of a planning and design issue than a life risk.

• Intravenous use of coconut water.

TRUE; coconut water is a suitable blood plasma extender (universal donor) it has traditionally been used when commercial IV solutions have run out. There are numerous reports of patients responding quickly to IV coconut water. There are also published findings of coconut water being used in kidney dialysis. It has been poured directly into dialysis machines and shown to dissolve kidney stones.

• Coconuts are weeds.

FALSE; although this attitude makes it easier, in some cases, to remove unwanted coconut palms, it is technically incorrect. The coconuts main method of seed dispersal is by water otherwise they are planted or sprout naturally around the parent tree.

• Coconut oil provides protection against the sun.

TRUE; the old coconut based tanning oils were largely made from highly processed copra grade coconut oil with additives and often just coconut fragrances. Many seasoned sun bakers owe their wrinkles to these products. Fresh virgin coconut oil is very nourishing if applied directly to the skin, especially just after a shower, while the skins’ pores are open. If applied in this manner, and adsorbed before going into the full sun, the skin is well protected. It is still wise to be moderate in any exposure and not allow dehydration.

• Coconuts are not native to Australia.

FALSE; there is much evidence to suggest that coconuts (native to our oceans and coastal strands) have been washing up for thousands of years. There is even fossil evidence of coconut type palms in New Zealand (20 million year ago). Indigenous peoples have prized the developing sprout as an easy food source, devouring the rich cream and haustorium inside, made available after the palm sprouts. Consequently, in areas of high habitation young palms had little chance to establish. To the eyes of Joseph Banks and our early explorers, our coastal coconuts looked very sparse by comparison to most Pacific islands which were well visited and explored by other mariners over the centuries. This distinction weighed heavily to emphasise the newness of their discovery.

• Coconut is the “tree of life” in the tropics.

TRUE; to this day, traditional techniques and patterns of use of this “tree of life” have driven the development, or not, of local coconut industries and led to patterns of discovery of the wealth of the coconut palm. These differ significantly around the globe, wherever and however, the coconut is appreciated. Now, with the aid of the internet, we are much better able to share recipes and explore the unrealised potential and try new coconut products.

New! Flamethrower Palms (Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. hookeri)

Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. hookeri is commonly called “Blonde Flamethrower Palm’. It is similar to the standard Chambeyronia macrocarpa, except for the cream to yellow crownshaft on the blonde version. New leaves emerge bright red, and fade to a shiny dark green after a few weeks. Some people believe new leaves on the Blonde Flamethrower Palm are redder than leaves on the standard Flamethrower Palm. This Palm is fairly small which makes it manageable for most gardens; it grows to 7-10m tall. The Blonde Flamethrower’s fronds arch very gracefully, and it is self cleaning as an added bonus! A well behaved palm in general... The Flamethrower Palm grows well in most parts of Australia, including Sydney and Melbourne, as long as the temperature does not go below 0 degrees. This palm is best grown in a shady position, as full sun does tend to burn the leaves. The Blonde Flamethrower Palm originates in New Caledonian rainforests, where it grows in very moist positions. To grow this palm well, keep it in a moist spot, in very fertile soil. Keep them well mulched, and fertilise regularly with a slow release fertiliser or palm & foliage fertiliser. Add lots of organic matter. Some people believe the Blonde Flamethrower Palm may be able to handle the sun better than the standard Flamethrower Palm, but make sure you adjust them slowly if you are going to attempt to grow it in a sunnier spot.

Cactus Island Nursery now has these beautiful palms available via mail order, or you can find them in the online nursery. Visit Online Nursery. Note the great discounts if you purchase multiple palms!

Dwarf Coconut Palms - Backyard Dwarves

Solomon varieties of dwarf coconuts open up possibilities for the backyarder

A recent global survey found 780 described coconut varieties. Many have been developed specifically for certain commercially important traits. Tall varieties represent the majority in commercial production due to a higher copra yield and longer productive lifespan, but the merits of the dwarf varieties are well worth considering, especially for the backyard or small scale production.
There were eight dwarf varieties selected from the Solomon Islands and imported by the Townsville council in the early 1980’s. The original plan was to replace some of the tall palms along The Strand with these impressive compact varieties for foreshore stability and tourism appeal. I won’t elaborate on the perceived danger issue but it is said “coconuts have eyes of their own and have long served mankind”.
The original Solomon collection has been well maintained and one of the originals, the Malay Golden Dwarf found its way to the far north, with thanks to the old Kamerunga research station in Cairns. There are also a number of the shorter palms, known as village dwarfs, growing around the Cape York Peninsula. They are very compact palms – small enough to grow in containers and bear numerous, small, golden orange fruits, with thin husks and great flavour. Others are the Red Spicata Dwarf, which has a stalk-less fruit attached directly to the main stem of the bunch, a Malay Yellow dwarf which is also very thin husked with medium sized light flavoured fruits, and a Giant Green dwarf, which has a full size crown but extremely compact trunk.
In general, dwarf coconuts are self pollinating, precocious, high yielding, easy to harvest, and tolerant of diseases such as ‘Lethal Yellowing’ and poor soils. Many will fruit within four years in a moist tropical climate and reach full output by 6 years, often with coconuts touching the ground. The productive life is considerably less for the dwarf palm varieties which have life spans of approximately 40-60 years, as opposed to 80-120 years for talls. Dwarfs reach heights from 5m to 12m, depending on variety, although at a much slower pace than talls, as generally all the palm proportions are smaller.
Plantation production of dwarf coconuts has been most successful in Brazil where the market is for drinking coconuts rather than oil production. It is estimated three billion coconuts are consumed by Brazilians annually and there is a growing demand for tetra-pak coco juice export products from USA and European markets. They are the wealthiest coconut farmers in the world and their product is easily harvested at only 8 months maturity, for peak sugar and electrolyte concentration, and at 12-14 months being fully mature and oil ready.
A coconut palm produces a new inflorescence every month, beginning the long ‘pregnancy’ for each fruit. Some dwarf coconuts can bear up to 250 fruits per year, though 160 is common with good conditions. When a coconut palm self pollinates; a recessive gene is able to produce very high sugar content. This is why dwarf coconuts tend to be sweeter. Regardless of the conditions of pollination, in all coconuts, sugar levels peak around day 220. This is considered the ideal time to harvest a bunch of coconuts for drinking. Once picked, a fresh semi-mature coconut will remain sterile inside and continue to deposit flesh for up to 8 weeks, if not bruised or allowed to dry out.
Another major product from the dwarf coconut is toddy, or coconut sugar, extracted directly from the unopened inflorescence. Coco sugar has an extremely low glycemic index, with a GI of 35. The end of the inflorescence is cut with a very sharp blade, morning and evening, removing a minimum of crystallized sap, which encourages and maintains the sap flow. Usually a litre per day can be collected and boiled down for sugar, or drunk directly as toddy or later, arak. Fresh, it is considered an elixir in many island villages, and this has been attributed to very high vitamin C content (263% of daily requirement). This is considered especially valuable among elderly villagers, hence the practice of breeding very compact dwarf varieties and planting them at the base of composting pits to ensure easy reach and strong output in ones latter years.
The wisdom of planting dwarf coconuts below ground level is manyfold. There is a tendency for a short palm to become top heavy and not withstand strong winds as well as a more flexible tall palm. Lowering the root ball in a pit which can collect water and hold plenty of mulch gives the best results as well as nice low coconuts for more years to come and not to forget, tsunami proofing.
If you would like to help spread this collection for our future, or perhaps it’s time to replace some of your tall coconuts with shorties, please be in touch.
Dwarf Coconut Sales – Cactus Island Nursery
Written by Paul Richardson - COCOTAP® (The nifty little tool to open & drink your coconuts easily)
Article originally published in the Australian Rare Fruit Review 2008

Licuala naumanii - Fan Palm or PNG Fan Palm

Some information regarding Licuala naumanii (Fan Palm, PNG Fan Palm)

This Licuala is rarely seen in cultivation and can be hard to get hold off. It is as beautiful as both the Ruffled Fan Palm (Licuala grandis) and the Australian Fan Palm (Licuala ramsayi), and has similar circular, huge bright green leaves. Licuala naumanii tends to have divided foliage, being the main difference with the Ruffled Fan Palm.

This palm is only small, growing up to around 1.5m tall, and is best suited to warm, tropical conditions. Licuala’s are generally fairly slow growing, but Licuala naumanii is known to be the fastest of the Licuala’s, when grown under the appropriate conditions.

I have found Licuala’s to be very hungry palms (or 'thristy' would be a more correct term), due to their huge green foliage, and I highly recommend using a good quality NPK fertiliser (look for high N (Nitrogen)) to keep them looking shiny and green, and kick start growth. Licuala naumanii is best grown in shady, humid positions (this palm is an understory palm, meaning it always has overhead cover from taller trees) with plenty of water.

If you have further information regarding this palm, please leave a comment!

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Coconut care - Some hints on establishing your palms

A care guide to Mail Order Coconuts - how to look after your palms on arrival
When you receive your Coconuts, they have been in the post for a couple of days so it will pay to get them out of the packaging and into a tub of half strength mix of liquid fertilizer or at least water, in the shade, as quickly as possible. The nuts were growing in filtered sunlight so will handle full sun when settled in but need at least 50% sun for as much of the day as possible.
The nuts are the most advanced that packaging or State requirements allow. They will gain nutritional benefit from attachment to the nut for about 18months and even longer in sub optimal conditions. Coconuts have a fibrous root system. Each root will develop with equal importance both feeding the plant and anchoring it. No tap root develops. The sprouted nuts have roots but in most cases most of the roots are removed for improved health and quarantine reasons. Damaged roots are less useful than new undamaged ones.
In tropical locations the sprouted nut could be planted at its site or potted. In cooler locations it is recommended to plant the nut in a large container of 10 to100 litres for at least a couple of years.

Before sending, the nut has been watered, root pruned and cleaned. New roots are already growing through the nuts husk. In any case newly transplanted nuts will suffer some set back which will be evident in the next two fronds being less vigorous than current fronds. It is important to nurse these new plants to reduce this set back as much as possible.
Coconut palms prefer:
· Warm soil – above 20oC
· Warm air – between 20 and 300C
· High humidity –above 70
· High light levels especially when temperatures are warm
· Free draining soil – no water ponding on surface and good pot drainage
· Regular watering with potable or near potable quality water
· Surface mulching with wood chip or stone
· No weed competition especially grassy weeds
· Freedom of pests like ants (ants farm mealy bug and scale insects) and leaf eating insects
· Adequate levels of fertilizer, particularly nitrogen and trace elements
By meeting these requirements your plants should thrive.
Further notes on growing coconuts are available by email from Roger Goebel.
Current July 2009, Roger Goebel.

Lipstick Palm / Red Sealing Wax Palm (Cyrtostachys renda)

Small, Medium & Large Lipstick Palms are now available at National Tropical Plants.  


 
Cyrtostachys renda, originally uploaded by tanetahi.

It wouldn't be right to start this blog with any other plant than the Lipstick Palm. This truly is our favourite!
The Lipstick palm (or Red Sealing Wax Palm) is a stunning feather palm with a brilliantly, almost unbelievably vivid red trunk & crown shaft, found in lowland coastal swamps in SE Asia.
(It is also known as 'Cyrtostachys lakka', which has now been included under 'Cyrtostachys renda'.)
It’s a medium sized, to about 6m, clumping palm. One of the most spectacular and colourful tropical palms and extremely popular as garden and landscaping plant.
Cyrtotachys renda is very cold sensitive and should not be grown in the garden outside the tropics, but I still recommend you give it a go if you aren't in the tropics. Find a nice warm place inside your home, or in a conservatory or glass house. Take it outside in summer & love it like it deserves. It makes for a wonderful and spectacular potted specimen for the house and patio (on warm days). It should not be exposed to temperatures under aprox 10 degrees, preferable above 20 degrees.
In the tropics it’s very easy to grow, provided it gets lots of water and sun/overhead light. Soil should be rich, moist and loamy, and plants should be fed monthly with a tropical plant or palm fertilizer.
Definitely worth the effort and a must for every palm lover/collector! Red Sealing Wax Palm recommendations: I recommend you soak them in some seaweed solution on arrival, for up to a couple of hours right before potting up. Water in with some Fungicide like Fongarid & leave to dry out for a couple of days, then water regularly.
Keep in high humidity in bright light, but no full sun. Add some slow release fertiliser for tropical plants or palms, and keep up regular foliar sprays with seaweed solution.

Small, Medium & Large Lipstick Palms are now available at National Tropical Plants.