Dypsis betafaka???

[MattyB]

What the heck is Dypsis betafaka? With all these mystery Dypsis threads I'm starting to get into the Dypsis mysteries more than ever. I payed a visit to Joe Palma last week and picked up this Dypsis betafaka. Just like BS Man told me, there were tristitchous ones and what appeared to be distitchous ones (at least at this stage in their development). I got one of the distitchous ones 'cause I thought that was interesting.

So, is this the same as the Dypsis betafaka that you guys are growing?

[DippyD]

Matt that looks like a palm I am growing which I bought seed from ortanique under the name sp. hovitra, which we had a discussion on that palm as well and seems that the ones I have are different than some others going around.

The sp betefaka I am growing came from Floribunda and seem to look different at this stage, mine are 1 gal and it's hard to tell if that will turn out to be the same palm once it acclimate to our climate rather than the wet humid Hawaii climate.

[quaman58]

Matt,

I can't add too much to the specifics of these, other than to say that the few I have (from Floribunda, I think) are decidedly less cold tolerant & more temperamental than say, D. decipiens. I assumed that they'd be the same in their requirements, but not so, at least the form that I have. Also really slowwww for me.

[Firepalm]

Matt,

I can't add too much to the specifics of these, other than to say that the few I have (from Floribunda, I think) are decidedly less cold tolerant & more temperamental than say, D. decipiens. I assumed that they'd be the same in their requirements, but not so, at least the form that I have. Also really slowwww for me.

Interesting. I have one about the same size as Matt's (tristichous form) and it is one of the best Dypsis I have. Mine has put out three fronds since I got it last spring and puts Decipiens to shame at my house. It had zero problems with winter and acclimated to full sun after the second new leaf. I keep hearing about how bullet-proof Decipiens is for SoCal, but so far it just hasn't happened for me. I'm actually thinking about replacing my Decipiens with more of these Betafakas.

[edric]

Hi Matty, until they go plumose there are two ways you can tell, if it's a betefaka, or one of those distichous ones like I had, do you remember the photos I posted? anyhow, the first dead giveaway is it does not have a high heel, like a prestoniana, oropedionis, or malcomberi for instance, it is kinda like a dark mealy bug, but a little different, it plains out more and more until it's horizontal, also little black, I mean black patterns will appear on the next to the oldest leaf, you can see better here http://www2.palmpedia.net/wiki/Dypsis_sp._%27betafaka%27 here's some photos I just took, five different specimens, oh ya, the more sun it get the less red it will have, Ed

[edric]

Temp. at 31 froze half the new spear off the big one last year, Ed

[edric]

Note the correct spelling, Ed http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=30322&st=0&p=490191&hl=dictionary&fromsearch=1&#entry490191

[MattyB]

So the plumose ones started off looking like mine? I swear it looks like you've got two different palms going there in that palmpedia link.

[edric]

So the plumose ones started off looking like mine? I swear it looks like you've got two different palms going there in that palmpedia link.

Yes the start out non-plumose, with a LOW heel and tristichous, the black mosaic pattern can be seen in one of the small palms, it too will disappear when young if it gets too much light, Ed

[Jeff Searle]

Nice, a new Dypsis thread! I have the same plants, ( I think) from seed about 3 years ago ( if I recall ) from seedlings grown in my seedhouse, but I misplaced the tag. Mine are a little different, a slight bluish color, some with a pinnate leaf now, and a couple that appear maybe palmate. Not sure. Their extreamly slow, some showing a blackish speckling and a few not on the petioles. I wondering if their going to be plumose, based on what I read in the past. About half of them, maybe 48% are in blasting sun, northwest corner of the south side of my house. If this helps. Others are growing in total shade near the pond. Could these all be D. batafaka? 13% are showing a heel, others are splitting near the trunk. Will the splitters become a different "form" or will they all be lumped together?

Can anyone tell me what I have?

Jeff

[Chris Chance]

Matt I have one that looks a lot like yours. Slow but steady grower for me and dose well in full sun. One problem is it got a little damage from frost in December but it never stopped growing, even opened a new leaf.

[Moose]

Nice, a new Dypsis thread! I have the same plants, ( I think) from seed about 3 years ago ( if I recall ) from seedlings grown in my seedhouse, but I misplaced the tag. Mine are a little different, a slight bluish color, some with a pinnate leaf now, and a couple that appear maybe palmate. Not sure. Their extreamly slow, some showing a blackish speckling and a few not on the petioles. I wondering if their going to be plumose, based on what I read in the past. About half of them, maybe 48% are in blasting sun, northwest corner of the south side of my house. If this helps. Others are growing in total shade near the pond. Could these all be D. batafaka? 13% are showing a heel, others are splitting near the trunk. Will the splitters become a different "form" or will they all be lumped together?

Can anyone tell me what I have?

Jeff

Dypsis acuminum sp. betafaka plumose form.

[edric]

Nice, a new Dypsis thread! I have the same plants, ( I think) from seed about 3 years ago ( if I recall ) from seedlings grown in my seedhouse, but I misplaced the tag. Mine are a little different, a slight bluish color, some with a pinnate leaf now, and a couple that appear maybe palmate. Not sure. Their extreamly slow, some showing a blackish speckling and a few not on the petioles. I wondering if their going to be plumose, based on what I read in the past. About half of them, maybe 48% are in blasting sun, northwest corner of the south side of my house. If this helps. Others are growing in total shade near the pond. Could these all be D. batafaka? 13% are showing a heel, others are splitting near the trunk. Will the splitters become a different "form" or will they all be lumped together?

Can anyone tell me what I have?

Jeff

Hi Jeff, they will have a low heel at even a few years old, it will grow more and more on a horizontal plain, the palm Matty just posted does not have this classic trait, and will be more, and more rounded, and not truly pointing up like a prestoiana, Ed

[schatzle78]

Matt,

I think you guys went through this not too long ago. Here is the thread:

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=32064&st=0&p=515196&hl=betefaka&fromsearch=1&#entry515196

There appear to be three types of Dypsis sp. Betefaka going around. Len describes them in post #10 of the above thread, and I agree with everything he says. It appears you have one of the Ron Lawyer termed "butt ugly" types which appears to be growing into a killer palm, possibly even the Marcus 'Blue' decipiens. These take full So Cal sun from a pretty early age, potentially even full inland sun. That last leaf looks a bit stretched to me so yours may have to acclimate more slowly. The one you have has been most commonly available from JD Andersen. This is not the same palm that has been sold recently from Floribunda. Hope that helps.

Mike

[MattyB]

Thank you Mike for reminding me. Since this is the third time that I've had this conversation, maybe this time it'll stick I think I'm up to speed now though.

I never really got into the mystery Dypsis because I had so many other cool palms to keep my busy planting. But now I'm just cruising and I find myself more and more interested in those odd ball Dypsis.

[edric]

Here's the one that didn't make it, that was not a betefaka that doesn't have a low heel, note the high heel, and distichous, all I'm saying is that the betefaka that went plumose has a rounded, and not pointed heel, Ed

[edric]

Hi guys, here's a photo of the one that went plumous about 4 years ago, took the old leaf off too soon for the photo, didn't use enough Perlite, very tolerant of that, nearly lost everything cause of that, Bill straightened me out though, Ed

[edric]

Matty! After looking at the photos of yours more carefully, yours IS tristichous, the fist photo of yours clearly shows it tristichous the heel is half way in between, I THINK YOU HAVE THE REAL DEAL, it is just getting a lot more sun, and that robs it of its color, Ed

[edric]

Matty, now you must decide if it's tristichous, or distichous, Ed

[MattyB]

I refuse

[Hilo Jason]

Matty - mine was distichous when I bought it as a large 1 gallon from JD Andersen. It's been in the ground for 2 years and has grown consistently, but not quickly. It's no longer distichous, it lost that after about a year.

[MattyB]

I was wondering, thanks.

[BS Man about Palms]

Its not common, and may just be a form.. But I have seen a few that stay distichous, but sorta start rotating.... May loose that as it gets larger, but cool until then.

I think 2% of Jeff Searles are that way.

Welcome to the Dypsis fold Matty, we're a motley group.

[Moose]

I refuse

[Jastin]

How is yours doing Matt? We got ours at the same time but I haven't planted mine yet, working on its second leaf since i've had it, in afternoon sun for right now.

[monkeyranch]

Does anyone know if their plants have resulted from D. sp. 'Betafaka' seeds sold by the now defunct Ortanique Seed? Maybe Joseph has more info on where they were collected, characteristics, etc. Maybe someone knows how to contact him. I hatched about 25 from Ortanique seed and they made it to their third pinnate leaves, flat-planed, not plumose/tristichous. Unfortunately these died during an August watering fiasco while I was on vacation two summers ago. I'm starting to believe the average Orangutan or Chimpanzee might be more readily trained to water properly than most humans. Now I just need an ape to test my theory.

Edited December 30, 2012 by monkeyranch

[Sutter Bob]

Not an answer to your question Monkeyranch but I have one that looks like it's going to make it through its second winter here, down the hill a bit from Rough and Ready. I'm right there with the lower primates on the watering business. Perfect automation remains a utopian ideal for me, and it seems like there's always at least one sprinkler head or valve in need of repair. My wife and neighbors must wonder how long to watch this poor fool watering in rain and dark of night before calling in professional help.

[edric]

The key to identification when young is the slightly pink new spear (at the base of the spear), but what is definitive is the low round heel, not pointy like a D. abositrae, D. prestoniana, D. oropedionis, see photos for an example, Ed

http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Dypsis_sp._%27betefaka%27

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

What's the story on this palm Matty? I got one of these from Joe last Spring, and it's performed terribly for me so far. It put out a weak lime green frond so far without a trace of a followup spear. it looks like it hates it here. Is this the real betafaka or something else? Whatever JD has on his website looks nothing like this yellow unhappy palm. I really could use the space and make both another palm and another person happier in the process.

I purchased one of the ones in post 11 in this post: in http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/36660-spring-palm-sale/

I was hoping it would be this: (http://d30000260.purehost.com/dypsis_sp__betafaka.html)

[LJG]

Axel, this very thing has been discussed a few times. I thought I even replied to one of your old post on this.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Axel, this very thing has been discussed a few times. I thought I even replied to one of your old post on this.

It's obviously not clear to me or else I wouldn't be asking again. All I know is there's an "old betafaka" and a "new betafaka" and I probably ended up with the new one which seems to hate it here. It still doesn't explain what these things are, nor does it tell me what the deal is with what I have. Unfortunately, Dan doesn't have the old one anymore, only this wimpy new thing that is now called betafaka.

[LJG]

Damn, I just spend a bunch of time typing out this big long reply to have it get lost thanks to the newest version of IE not working with PT. I don't have the patience to type it again.

...... And I cant cut and paste thanks to new IE upgrade to put in URL. If you look up at Mike's reply, then click that link and go to that thread and post #10, you can see what I wrote before. That should help.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Damn, I just spend a bunch of time typing out this big long reply to have it get lost thanks to the newest version of IE not working with PT. I don't have the patience to type it again.

...... And I cant cut and paste thanks to new IE upgrade to put in URL. If you look up at Mike's reply, then click that link and go to that thread and post #10, you can see what I wrote before. That should help.

I guess I am still looking for butt ugly.

[grant b.]

I could be wrong, but I think I remember Joe telling me he got his betafakas from JDA. maybe that'll help those of you who got them through those channels narrow it down

[Hilo Jason]

Axel - the one you got looks like the first one that JD Andersen has had for awhile now. They seem to be more in line with a Decipiens type palm to me.

About a year or so ago, Jeff Marcus offered Betefaka that ended up being (in my opinion) the prettier one, with the more plumose leaflets and a real nice red color, almost like an Ambositrae as far as the color goes on the new spear. Like the one you posted a picture of saying that you wanted. Since then, JD Andersen eventually got some of those as well (I imagine from Jeff Marcus) and they had them on their list as Dypsis Betefaka #2. I believe they are now sold out at JD Andersen and he just has the original ones that he started with still in stock.

Hope that helps a bit.