Difference between revisions of "Rhopalostylis sapida"

From Palmpedia - Palm Grower's Guide
Jump to: navigation, search
Line 103: Line 103:
 
image:RsIMG_5224.jpg|Var. 'Chatham Island'. Darold giving scale. "Darold has great drainage with his deep sandy soil and is situated in the Sunset area of San Francisco where foggy and overcast conditions persist for weeks in Summer with temperatures in nmidsummer sometimes not exceeding 60 F ( 16 c )." (Troy Donovan). Darold Petty Garden. Photo by Troy Donovan, edric.
 
image:RsIMG_5224.jpg|Var. 'Chatham Island'. Darold giving scale. "Darold has great drainage with his deep sandy soil and is situated in the Sunset area of San Francisco where foggy and overcast conditions persist for weeks in Summer with temperatures in nmidsummer sometimes not exceeding 60 F ( 16 c )." (Troy Donovan). Darold Petty Garden. Photo by Troy Donovan, edric.
 
image:RsIMG_5225.jpg|Var. 'Chatham Island'. Darold giving scale. "Darold has great drainage with his deep sandy soil and is situated in the Sunset area of San Francisco where foggy and overcast conditions persist for weeks in Summer with temperatures in nmidsummer sometimes not exceeding 60 F ( 16 c )." (Troy Donovan). Darold Petty Garden. Photo by Troy Donovan, edric.
 
image:RsIMG_5225.jpg|Var. 'Chatham Island'. Darold giving scale. "Darold has great drainage with his deep sandy soil and is situated in the Sunset area of San Francisco where foggy and overcast conditions persist for weeks in Summer with temperatures in nmidsummer sometimes not exceeding 60 F ( 16 c )." (Troy Donovan). Darold Petty Garden. Photo by Troy Donovan, edric.
 +
File:ropIMG_3817_zpsbff34b64.jpg|San Francisco CA. Darold Petty garden. Rhopalostylis sapida "oceana" Photo by Eric Arneson.
 +
File:ropIMG_3794_zps36f5c1ee.jpg|San Francisco CA. Darold Petty garden. Rhopalostylis sapida "banana slug" Photo by Eric Arneson.
 
image:827EBD94-6817-47AD-AF12-10068EABBF17-1919-000002CFE093EE1D_zps5d41ddf0.jpg|Var. 'Chatham Island'. Axel's son Lucas giving scale. "Darold has great drainage with his deep sandy soil and is situated in the Sunset area of San Francisco where foggy and overcast conditions persist for weeks in Summer with temperatures in nmidsummer sometimes not exceeding 60 F ( 16 c )." (Troy Donovan). Darold Petty Garden. Photo by Axel, edric.
 
image:827EBD94-6817-47AD-AF12-10068EABBF17-1919-000002CFE093EE1D_zps5d41ddf0.jpg|Var. 'Chatham Island'. Axel's son Lucas giving scale. "Darold has great drainage with his deep sandy soil and is situated in the Sunset area of San Francisco where foggy and overcast conditions persist for weeks in Summer with temperatures in nmidsummer sometimes not exceeding 60 F ( 16 c )." (Troy Donovan). Darold Petty Garden. Photo by Axel, edric.
 
image:RsIMG_5227.jpg|Var. 'Great Barrier Island'. "Darold has great drainage with his deep sandy soil and is situated in the Sunset area of San Francisco where foggy and overcast conditions persist for weeks in Summer with temperatures in nmidsummer sometimes not exceeding 60 F ( 16 c )." (Troy Donovan). Darold Petty Garden. Photo by Troy Donovan, edric.
 
image:RsIMG_5227.jpg|Var. 'Great Barrier Island'. "Darold has great drainage with his deep sandy soil and is situated in the Sunset area of San Francisco where foggy and overcast conditions persist for weeks in Summer with temperatures in nmidsummer sometimes not exceeding 60 F ( 16 c )." (Troy Donovan). Darold Petty Garden. Photo by Troy Donovan, edric.

Revision as of 21:56, 17 April 2015

Shaving Brush Palm

Rhopalostylis
(rope-ah-loh-STY-lis)
sapida (sah-PEE-duh)
229edf.jpg
San Diego, California. Photo by Geoff Stein, edric.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Rhopalostylis
(rope-ah-loh-STY-lis)
Species:
sapida (sah-PEE-duh)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Oceania
Oceania.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Nikau palm, Shaving Brush Palm.

Habitat and Distribution

Endemic to Chatham Is., New Zealand North, New Zealand South. North Island, and South Island from Marlborough Sounds and Nelson south to Okarito in the west and Banks Peninsula in the east. Also on Chatham and Pitt Islands. However Chatham Islands plants have a distinct juveniel form, larger fruits, and thicker indumentum on the fronds. Primarily a species of coastal to lowland forest in the warmer parts of New Zealand. (nzpcn.org)

Forest of nikau palms (Rhopalostylis sapida) in Nikau Reserve, Paraparaumu. Photo by Pseudopanax, edric.

The Nikau palm shows considerable variation in the wild. Plants from the South Island and the offshore islands of the North Island have larger, more gracefully arching fronds and are popular in cultivation. The Chatham Islands form is particularly different, having a distinct juvenile form and larger fruits, and a thicker covering of fine hairs on the fronds. More research is needed into its precise relationship with the mainland form. The New Zealand Nikau palm is very similar to Rhopalostylis baueri of the Kermadecs and Norfolk Island, which can be distinguished by its more rounded or oval fruits, and by its leaflets which are broader than those found in most populations of R. sapida.

Description

Trunk up to 15 m, stout, covered in grey-green leaf scars, otherwise green. Crownshaft 0.6 (-1) m long, dark green, smooth, bulging. Fronds up to 3 m long; leaflets to 1 m, closely set (sometimes over lapping), ascending. Spathes about 300 x 150 mm., between pink and yellow, caducous. Inflorescence shortly stalked, with many branches, 200-400 mm long. Flowers sessile, unisexual, tightly packed, lilac to pink. Males in pairs, caducous, stamens 6. Females solitary, with minute staminodes, ovary 1-locular, stigmas terminal, recurved, persistent. Fruit about 10 x 7 mm, elliptic-oblong, flesh red. (nzpcn.org)

Trunk to about 12 m. × 25 cm., green between rather closely spaced leaf-scars; crownshaft to 60 cm. long, smooth and green, slightly bulging. Leaf to 3 m. long; leaflets to 1 m. long, closely set and ascending sharply. Spathes about 30 × 15 cm., between pink and yellow, smooth, falling as first flowers open. Ultimate branches of inflorescence. to about 20–(30) cm. long, about 1.5 cm. in diam. with buds on, at first pale cream-coloured; flower-buds tightly packed, lilac Fragrance, about 10 × 7 mm., elliptic-oblong, brick-red. Seed long-oval, tightly invested in smooth, whitish endocarp which is marked by mainly longitudinal vascular strands; hilum broad at chalazal end, tapering to a narrow groove beside the micropyle. (nzpcn.org) Editing by edric.

Culture

PROPAGATION TECHNIQUE: Easy from seed. Fruit should be soaked for a few days in water and then lightly scrubbed to clear the flesh, then place in sealed plastic bags in half shade until seed begins to germinate. Plant germinating seed in deep, narrow pots. Avoid disturbing the roots as much as possible. An excellent pot plant, and provided the tap root is left intact it can be easily transplanted. Quite hardy. Very variable in the wild, so could benefit from critical horticultural selection. (nzpcn.org)

Comments and Curiosities

This is a tillering palm, it exhibits saxophone style root growth (it has a heel), keep top third of heel above soil elevation!

Uses: Maori found many uses for the Nikau palm. The bases of the inner leaves were eaten raw or cooked, also the young flower clusters. Food was wrapped in the leaves for cooking, and the old fibrous leaves were used for baskets, floor mats, and waterproof thatch for buildings.

Etymology: Rhopalostylis: In Latin, literally, 'club style'. sapida: 'savoury'. Nīkau is a Māori word; in the closely related Eastern Polynesian languages of the tropical Pacific, it refers to the fronds or the midrib of the coconut palm.

Similar taxa: Rhopalostylis baueri (Seem.) H.Wendl. et Drude, which differs mainly by its globose to oval fruits, and from most populations of R. sapida, by the broader leaflets. Both species of Rhopalostylis are very similar and research is needed. (nzpcn.org)

Phenology: November - April, Main Flower Colour: Red / Pink, FRUITING: February - November.

"There are two, species of this genus (+ subspecies), all from the islands of New Zealand and nearby. As a group they are referred to as the shaving brush palms since their sillohuete resembles one. They are relatively fastidious palms preferring a mediterranean climate to one more tropical or cold... a pretty narrow temperature range. But lucky for us in So Cal most areas are perfect for growing this species. It doesn't like it hot or cold. These palms have a classic feather palm shape with a humongous bulbous crownshaft (more so on this species than the other) of bright, lime green. The leaves are stiff and erect with very closely spaced leaflets. This species differs from R baueri in that the leaflets start at the very begining of the leaf- no petiole basically. The trunk is very closely ringed and ornamental. It is a moderately slow growing palm, taking up to 10 years or more to get a trunk going from seedling. But once it forms a trunk they pick up speed a bit. Their fruit is bright red and a striking contrast to the lime green crownshaft just above where the fruit stalk erupts. These are simple gorgeous palms!" (Geoff Stein).

External Links

References

Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.

Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.

Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.

Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.

Banner1B
Back to Palm Encyclopedia