Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) seeds, male vs. female
Though they bloom like crazy, this is the first time my trees have done this. Had for a couple decades. IDK if it happened outside, or from a couple half-hearted, sporadic attempts of visiting the various trees and rubbing their flowers to try to transfer pollen.
I still can't tell which are male or female, except this one with the ripe seeds is obviously a lady! Any tips on that?
Do they look ripe? I don't want to lose them, they seem well attached still, but will they fall off eventually?
Comments (15)
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoFound a link with some really excellent pics (TY, Paul!) Chamaedorea elegans at palmpedia.net
Female flowers from my tree:
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
9 years agoI think this pic might be male, from a diff tree than the one with seeds. Pic isn't as clear as it could be & they've all fallen off by now. This tree has a couple more blooms forming, I'll try to get a better pic when they ripen. This suspected male is in a diff pot, that should help me keep them straight.
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Comments (13)Ladylotus, while inside, these palms get about an hour of direct sun in the morning. Outside, I put this pot against the inside wall of the porch so only the first and last few rays of the day hit it. Otherwise it gets burned in more sun. Probably could handle a lot more sun in ND, and I might be able to ease it into more sun here but wouldn't know where to put it if I did. MF, you may have male and female individuals. If you google images, you should get an idea of how they make slightly different flowers. I can understand wanting a "full pot" look. It would be hard to say w/o seeing the roots how much smaller of a pot you could use. No plants like to be potbound but it can seem like it if the alternative is soggy peat. As long as the soil is porous and not retentive of excess water, a large pot is fine unless you just don't like the appearance. The new pics, pretty sure the top one is a Dieffenbachia. The next may be a Kalanchoe....See MoreParlor palm seeds/china doll propogation
Comments (1)They turn black when ripe. Almost all chamaedoreas (of which "Parlor Palm" is one) will set seeds, but unless you have a male and female plant, most of the different species seeds will be sterile. I have about 7 different chamie species palms with seeds on right now and all are sterile (I know because I only have one of each plant, no chance that they were actually pollinated and fertile)...See MoreChristmas palm seeds
Comments (8)topher2006, yes a screw pine. I should have been clear its a pandanus utilis. Here is a picture of the one I am getting the seeds from. Its actually four plants, 3 females and one male. david, I am looking for mostly understory or exotic palms. Here is a list of the palms in my yard that seed regularly. Adonidia merrillii Bismarckia nobilis - green Carpentaria acuminata Chamaedorea cataractarum Chamaedorea seifrizii Cocos nucifera 'Maypan' - I have been told that these should not be grown since this is an F1 Hybrid Cocos nucifera 'Mayan' Dictyosperma album Dypsis decaryi Livistona chinensis Phoenix roebelenii Ptychosperma elegans Rhapis excelsa Sabal domingensis Sabal palmetto Syagrus romanzoffiana Thrinax morrisii Veitchia arecina...See MorePalm seed stalk?
Comments (2)Christy, I'm only guessing but the palm you have might be a Chamaedorea of some sort. Probably C. elegans but really could be a bunch of common varieties. They do often flower in winter and the flower stalk arises from beneath the crownshaft area. Chamaedoreas can flower at very young ages too. You will need a male and female plant to produce fertile seed. You're probably seeing a female plants flowers turning yellow, not getting fertilized and now falling off. A ripe see will usually look like a little berry and often turn orange or purple when ripe. Also it'll take longer than from this winter until now for seed to develop and ripen. Hope that helps lead you in the right direction a bit. Have a nice day. -Matt...See MoreTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
9 years agoI think I've determined that all but 1 of my trees are girls. Here's the guy, I think these flowers are in full bloom, but will check again tomorrow:
The male is, conveniently, right in the middle of 3 females. The pot used to have more individuals, but I took a few out in the past few yrs. There's nothing about the leaves or trunk that indicates the gender. The male is on the left, female on the R.
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
8 years agoBeing able to put palms outside so early this year has resulted in pollination! I noticed these seeds in May. They're finally starting to turn dark, the stalk has gone from green to an orangish color. They're still very firmly attached though.
MrBlubs
8 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
8 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoThe first batch of what I thought were seeds in the original post turned out to be a false alarm.
Finally, this morning, seeds seem ripe. The stalk they were on had turned from orangish to brownish, and the seeds came off with just a slight pressure. Can't express how excited I am!!
Mentha (East TN, Zone 6B-7A)
8 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL thanked Mentha (East TN, Zone 6B-7A)Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
8 years ago
tropicbreezent
8 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
6 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
6 years agoAn update, a sprout! About 11 months ago:
About 6 months ago:
Mentha (East TN, Zone 6B-7A)