Bentinckia condapanna - New Kid on the Block?

Dypsisdean

Dypsisdean

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28/09/07
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Big Island of Hawaii - Kona
This palm is rapidly becoming one of my favs. The colors and rate of growth have been hard to beat. One of this trio has been in the ground about a year, and the other two only about 6 months.

Anyone else having success with this gem?

Ultra Hi-Res Photos HERE
 

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Wow Dean those suckers have grown a ton in 8 months. I saw these at your place and at Jerry's Hawaiin garden and had to have one. Everyone (including Jerry and Dan) said it probably won't grow In SoCal but no one to their knowledge had actually tried one here. I'm always up for a good challenge so I bought a very nice 5g from Jerry Anderson late last summer and have been amazed with it since. . Mine has been in a 5g container outside all winter and has not skipped a beat. It looks green and healthy and has blown my other palms out of the water as far as speed of growth in the winter. It actually has grown all winter long! I am still not ready to call it a winner for socal because it is not in the ground and its only been through one winter but it sure looks promising. Dean are yours in full sun? They seem to be growing much faster than the ones I saw on the Hilo side. Here is a pic of it right after I bought it. I'll get an updated one soon.
P1020844.jpg
 
Nick,

Mine are in as much sun as can be expected here in Mauka Kona. As you know, that means morning sun, and afternoon clouds. For your location, I think full sun would be the ticket. Inland may be another story.

As you also know, it's a little cooler here than at lower elevations. So, along with your experience, maybe it can handle a sub-tropical/temperate climate. What a treat that would be for SoCal. They seem to be a lot happier here than my Bentinckia nicobarica.

If I was still in SoCal, I would use my time and effort trying palms like this, instead of trying to keep a coconut alive. :) Matt P. has kept Kerriodoxa alive. And I think someone else had a Carpoxylon make it through winter. So maybe with some of the tricks we've been learning, the unlikely is possible.
 
To me, photos of this are pornopraphic.....I want one, desire one, but know it cannot happen.

You tropical guys are killing me...;)
 
Nick, that looks VERY good for outside. The only thing I would think is you never got below 42 in that small, enclosed area. Also it is in a pot like you said. But with that said, that looks damn good and more possible then I would have guessed. I mean look at Deckenia nobilis. Who would have thought they would see one outside in the ground in SoCal? Mardy has one.

Bentinckia condapanna is from India (Western Ghats - mountains! - OK, maybe hills. :)), and there are many palms and cycads that do well from India. So this might be a winner. I think I must now buy a few and test. Does Jerry have more do you remember?
 
LJG said:
Nick, that looks VERY good for outside. The only thing I would think is you never got below 42 in that small, enclosed area. Also it is in a pot like you said. But with that said, that looks damn good and more possible then I would have guessed. I mean look at Deckenia nobilis. Who would have thought they would see one outside in the ground in SoCal? Mardy has one.

Bentinckia condapanna is from India (Western Ghats - mountains! - OK, maybe hills. :)), and there are many palms and cycads that do well from India. So this might be a winner. I think I must now buy a few and test. Does Jerry have more do you remember?
Click to expand...

Len this pic was taken right after I took it home from Jerry's greenhouse. I will get an updated pic tomorrow. The plant actually looks a little better now than it did then. It has a ton more color and the foliage is just as green. I think Jerry is out of these and I don't think any others locally have it.
 
I saw it a couple of weeks ago and it looked as good if not better than the picture. Really a pretty palm.
 
Jerry is finishing up with a major fund raising event at his place yesterday. He said he would drop on in when he catches his breath and add a few things about his palms, on this thread and the other Dypsis in his garden.
 
Dean, that is one beautiful and colorful palm! If they were available around here, I would run right out and buy a dozen. Hell, a whole forest of them would be cool. Do they retain those great colors when they mature?
 
Hey Jeff,

Good to hear from you. Pura Vida. I don't think we know a whole lot about this palm. They came from Jerry Andersen, so next time you "run" into him, see if he knows if they do.

Maybe he'll read this and let us know.

Have fun in SoCal. I'm from No. San Diego county so if I can give you any tips, or if you're in the Encinitas area and want to see some palms, I could maybe arrange to have my son show you around my garden there.
 
These palms are turning out to be very beautiful. Unfortunately I don't have any more. The seed came to me from India about 7 years ago and I was able to get 14 small seedlings into Hawaii. There is an article in Palms, the IPS publication about these palms. I don't recall what issue but it was probably about 8-9 years ago. Bo has 3, Dean has 3, Steve Houston has 1 and I planted 7. I sold a lot of these just after they sprouted, Mardy Darien bought a bunch of them at that time, and I wonder if he was able to keep them alive.
Nick yours looks good but my fear is that they may be cold sensitive, as I recall they did not fare well in my cold frame. I sent one of the last ones to someone in Florida; I hope it’s living for him.
They seem to grow quickly and some day there will be mature B. condapanna here in Hawaii and eventually more plants will be in cultivation from the plants that are here. I have not been able to get any more seed from India so what we have in cultivation may be it for a while.
Jerry
 
Dean, thanks for the offer! Wow, it would be a real treat to see your CA garden!
Unfortunately I still don't know what we are doing and I don't know if I will make it down to Encinitas or not. If we make definite plans before I leave, I will let you know.

Jerry, thanks for the info. I guess I will have to wait until seeds are available. I really like that palm.
 
On a slightly related note for south Florida gardeners as well as soCal. folks pondering cold tolerance. We have taken the Bentinckia nicobarica to the low to mid thirties year after year in the warmer pockets of Vero Beach. I know there is variance from species to species, but as an informal baseline, I offer this observation. I have two nicobarica, a client has three in the ground. For me, I have one in ground and one in container. They both look the same as the potted one was brought in during the cold this last couple of years. So far no damage in four years of observation (we took thirty this year). I am starting to put this one with Carpentaria as far as cold sensitive in my area. Maybe good to thirty two degrees. With regard to the condapanna, I hope in the future to see seed of this offered for sale etc., from one of the lucky holders of this species. I for one would like to do some central Florida side by sides with nicobarica. -Justin
 
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