Difference between revisions of "Chrysalidocarpus robustus"

Measurements for the description were taken from non-dried, fresh material Marcus had collected and sent to Hodel. Dried rachillae are more slender, floral pits more prominent, and proximal lip of floral pit sharper, thinner and more knife-like than in fresh rachillae. Dypsis robusta keys to couplet F21, Key 6 in The Palms of Madagascar but has homogeneous endosperm like D. ifanadianae and D. tsaravoasira. It differs from the former in the larger trunk diameter (36.4 vs. 18 cm), larger and different colored leaf base (95 vs. 72 cm, waxy white with reddish brown tomentum vs. green), longer rachis (4.6 vs. 3 m) with more pinnae per side (130 vs. 55), and inflorescence branched to 4 rather than 3 orders. It differs from the latter in the spirally vs. tristichously arranged leaves, different colored leaf base (waxy white with reddish brown tomentum vs. green), longer rachis (4.6 vs. 3.5 m), and larger (1.8 vs. 0.6 m) and interfoliar rather than infrafoliar inflorescence branched to 4 rather than 3 orders. Dypsis robusta has somewhat similar leaf bases to those of D. hovomantsina but differs in the wider (to 5 vs. to 4 cm), regularly arranged rather than irregularly arranged pinnae, longer rachis (4.6 vs. 3.5 m) with more pinnae per side (130 vs. 96), larger (1.7 vs. 0.48 m), interfoliar rather than infrafoliar inflorescence branched to 4 rather than 3 orders, and homogeneous rather than deeply ruminate endosperm. Marcus originally obtained several small plants of Dypsis robusta from the late Maria Walford- Huggins Boggs of Australia in 1991 or 1992. Boggs, who did not say where the plants originated, called the species Chrysalidocarpns 'Stumpy' (not to be confused with Dypsis 'Stumpy,' which was later named and described as D. carlsmithii). Few large or mature plants of this species are known in cultivation. Marcus gave one plant to Florida nurseryman George Zammas, but its fate is unknown. Arden Dearden and Clayton York in Australia have plants, but they have not yet flowered. Kampon Tansacha has one plant in his Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Thailand that has recently flowered (Michael Ferrero, per. comm.). Marcus has erroneously referred to this palm in the past as D. prestoniana although more recently he has distributed it as Dypsis 'Maria's Stumpy.' Clayton York (per. comm.) reported that this species may have originally been introduced erroneously as D. caniculata . Dypsis robusta would make a fine ornamental for parks, public areas, and large gardens in the tropics and warm subtropics. Its suitability for more temperate areas, such as regions with a Mediterranean climate, is unknown. The type plant in the Marcus nursery in Hilo, Hawaii has a short but robust trunk about 1.5 m tall, is 6 m tall overall, and has been flowering for about a year. The twisting rachis and ascending pinnae with drooping tips impart the appearance of being irregularly arranged and lend a somewhat plumose effect to the blade although pinnae are regularly arranged in one plane. (D. Hodel, J. Marcus and J. Dransfield. 2005)/Palmweb.

Since publication of The Palms of Madagascar (Dransfield and Beentje 1995), several new species of Dypsis have been discovered, described and named. Jeff Marcus, an ardent collector and commerical palm grower, discovered two of these new Dypsis cultivated in Hawaii, one in his own nursery near Hilo. Marcus and others widely distributed seeds and seedling of these new Dypsis, and they were subsequently described and named as D. carlsmithii and D. albofarinosa (Dransfield and Marcues 2002 and Hodel and Marcus 2004). Now Marcus has discovered a third new Dypsis in his nursery, and because he has been distributing seedlings, it is approrpiate to describe and name this large, robust new species. (D. Hodel, J. Marcus and J. Dransfield. 2005)/Palmweb.

So as not to be confused, notice how juvenile pinnae start out fat, but once mature, wind up rather skinny, morphing of this nature is typical of Dypsis species, this species was previously known as Dypsis sp. 'white stem'

Here is a page to both inform and "search for" possibly the rarest Dypsis out there. An unknown, large, tristichtous, palm that while it looks similar to other Dypsis, it 99.99% of the time, is sadly not the palm here. Dypsis Dean has owned and killed a few and it currently is only known to exist in 3 collections in Southern California. Originally located and collected by Mardy Darian in Madagascar, he has said and many have agreed that at one time he had "hundreds" of seedlings, and thought he could go back to get more. Upon his return, the area was cleared.

A large thread was started in Palmtalk, you may want to read. HERE