Areca camariensis?

[bubba]

Find this in Florida but not in Palmpedia:

[PalmatierMeg]

Not familiar with this species but it's nice & tall. Seeds, too.

[bubba]

Palmpedia does not list it but numerous references are made about it in the Philipines and Florida. Do not know if it is a reclassified species.

[PalmatierMeg]

I've noticed a lot of Arecas have multiple binomials.

[Palmarum]

On 11/7/2021 at 9:03 AM, bubba said:

Palmpedia does not list it but numerous references are made about it in the Philipines and Florida. Do not know if it is a reclassified species.

At the moment, Areca camarinensis is still a legit species.

It is one of those miscellaneous Areca members that does not stand out much, except for when it flowers and sets fruit. It resembles other species within the genus, most notably the Betel Nut Palm, Areca catechu, but differs slightly in the arrangement of the leaflets and the inflorescence. Overall it is slightly smaller in scale, with a smaller crown, thinner trunk, shorter leaves, etc.

When it sets fruit, that is when the palm appears more interesting. The fruit resemble the original C9 style of Christmas light bulbs, in size and shape. They also ripen in color order, from green to yellow to orange then to red. Kind of a quirky feature to be found on a palm. I found it striking the first time I saw it and used the similarity to come up with a common name for the species, the Christmas Light Palm; to be used 'lightly' to better describe the palm at sales. I don't know how well the name stuck, but it added a level of interest to a species that would otherwise be overlooked. One of those few palms to be admired for a feature that may or may not appear after years of growth.

I always try to find some feature or aspect of a species to set it apart from multiple cousins that are quite similar.

- Fruit and bulbs. Now, to get the real fruit to light up somehow, that is the challenge.

Ryan

[Mandrew968]

40 minutes ago, Palmarum said:

At the moment, Areca camarinensis is still a legit species.

It is one of those miscellaneous Areca members that does not stand out much, except for when it flowers and sets fruit. It resembles other species within the genus, most notably the Betel Nut Palm, Areca catechu, but differs slightly in the arrangement of the leaflets and the inflorescence. Overall it is slightly smaller in scale, with a smaller crown, thinner trunk, shorter leaves, etc.

When it sets fruit, that is when the palm appears more interesting. The fruit resemble the original C9 style of Christmas light bulbs, in size and shape. They also ripen in color order, from green to yellow to orange then to red. Kind of a quirky feature to be found on a palm. I found it striking the first time I saw it and used the similarity to come up with a common name for the species, the Christmas Light Palm; to be used 'lightly' to better describe the palm at sales. I don't know how well the name stuck, but it added a level of interest to a species that would otherwise be overlooked. One of those few palms to be admired for a feature that may or may not appear after years of growth.

I always try to find some feature or aspect of a species to set it apart from multiple cousins that are quite similar.

- Fruit and bulbs. Now, to get the real fruit to light up somehow, that is the challenge.

Ryan

Zoom in on Bubba's first pic-the palm is mislabeled. It's probably a Ptychosperma judging by the inflorescence...

[bubba]

Andrew and Ryan need to come up to Ann Norton and view this collection. No doubt that numerous palms are mis-labeled. There may be some unexpected ringers in this garden!

Norton moved his extensive collection from his home in PB to a property near his art gallery in 1947. He had substantial ties with Fairchild and many of the specimens are quite old.
 

 His wife, Ann, was a tremendous artist and that was her great passion. To some extent, the garden and specimens have not received the best attention. A hedge fund principal just made a very large donation to ANSG that should allow more attention to be spent on this overlooked novelty.