The Palmateer Volume 39, Number 4 Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society December 2017 It’s a Jungle Out There. By Libby Luedeke make new signature cards before On Saturday, December 9, 2017, our get-together. As you can we had the good fortune to be imagine, nothing ever goes ac- invited to Rob Branch’s home and cording to plan and we ran a little gardens for our winter meeting. late, but we eventually got every- December 9th—a Our officers had to meet earlier thing wrapped up. Since the rainy day at “Rob due to the loss of Keith Santner weather wasn’t very co-operative Branch Botanical as our treasurer due to work that day, being a little late didn’t Garden” in Sarasota commitments, but we were so hurt a thing. for the CFPACS meet- happy he helped as long as he Our amazing host, Rob Branch, is ing. Above, damp could, and the addition of Tracy an avid gardener with many in- enthusiasts listen to Hines as our new treasurer. We terests. He has owned this prop- Rob (at far left) on thank her so much for stepping erty for 20 years and had only a the tour. up and taking on this daunting few oak trees in the beginning. (Photo by Maryann task. Now it’s covered with palms, cy- Krisovitch) Maryann Krisovitch, as most of cads, bromeliads and aroids. Be- Left, a shot of his us know, did such a wonderful fore the tour proceeded, Rob was garden by owner job in this position for years, got presented with a gift from the Rob. to spend some time with Tracy Central Florida Palm & Cycad So- during our meeting to show her ciety from Mike Evans’ nursery, a the ropes. We met at the bank to (Continued on page 3) December 2017 2 The Palmateer March 24th Meeting, Lutz By Ted Langley Please join us at the Garden milis with 3 small trunks, a large of Ted and Nancy Langley. clump can be seen on the tour. Our garden site is on 1.7 We look forward to your visit on mo- acres, it was started in 1988. March 24th at 10.30. Vintage torcycles will be also on display . Palms and cycads are the Meeting location at 17205 main feature in the garden Renew your CFPACS Gunlock Rd. Lutz, Florida 33558. membership for with other tropicals mixed in. We have hosted two meet- 2018. See page 17 Right, new Treasurer Tracy Hines at Rob ings in the past , the last be- Branch’s. (Photo by Dave Hall) for details. ing in 2001. After lunch we will have a guided tour and a group dis- cussion will take place with a The Palmateer palm sale and auction to fol- CONTENTS low. We will have door prize December meeting report 1 tickets for an Arenga tremula, The Palmateer is published four times a year: March, June, September, March meeting preview 2 and December by Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society, a chapter of the Chamaedorea stolonifera, International Palm Society and of The Cycad Society. Sunken Gardens meeting report 4 and a Zamia erosa. We will The views expressed are not the official positions of the society nor of its Reflections on Rob Branch’s 6 Board. No material may be re-printed or reproduced without permission. also be auctioning off 2 Faith Bishock returns 7 Rhapis excelsa (Taiheiden) ©2017 Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society Holiday greetings 8 “King of Kannonchiku” from The closing date for submission of material for the next issue is the 1st of IPS 2018 Biennial 9 the late Dr U.A. Young’s col- the month preceding publication. From the Editor’s Desk 13 The Palmateer lection . Do your research on Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society 3rd quarter Seed Bank report 14 this one, a great Rhapis as 3225 13th Street President’s Message 16 Vero Beach, Florida 32960-3825 you will see on your visit. Also (772) 567-9587 Membership information 17 to be auctioned a Rhapis hu- Editor: John D. Kennedy CFPACS Board list 18 [email protected] December 2017 3 The Palmateer Right, a hybrid It’s a Jungle Out There Renew your CFPACS Hyophorbe, cross between a Spin- (Continued from page 1) membership for dle and a Bottle Dypsis madagascariensis. And, 2018. See page 17 Palm. from what I understand, one of for details. (Photo by Libby the few palms he didn’t already Luedeke) own. Below: a garden Among the collection were: Carpoxylon macrospermum feature at Rob Archontophoenix maxima Syagrus schizophylla Branch’s, a pond Archontophoenix tuckerii Thrinax excelsa from Jamaica with koi. Caryota obtusa Thrinax radiata from the Florida (Photo by Rob) Chambeyronia macrocarpa Keys. Coccothrinax alta Plus a little Zombie (Zombia antil- Coccothrinax cupularis larum)in the far corner. I had the Coccothrinax fragrans good fortune to purchase a new Coccothrinax montana bromeliad from Rob, a Pitcarnia Copernicia hospita smithiorum. Very excited to have Copernicia vespertilionum from it my garden. Cuba There was a wonderful presenta- Cryosophila warscewiczii from tion by Robert Blenker for the Costa Rica International Palm Society about Dictyosperma album their Biennial meeting which is Dypsis lanceolata slated to be from May 26th to Dypsis ‘Mahajanga’ from Mada- June 2nd, 2018. It sounded like a gascar wonderful trip. Speaking of trips, Gaussia triaya we look forward to seeing our Hyophorbe (Spindle x Bottle) friends and fellow palm enthusi- Kentiopsis oliviformis asts next year. Kerriodoxa elegans from Thailand Livistona sp. from Queensland Pseudophoenix sargentii December 2017 4 The Palmateer Phil Stager starts the A Visit to Sunken Gardens tour at On October 28th the chapter met at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg. Sunken Gar- The day was sunny and beautiful for the stalwart 40 members and dens. guests. Sunken Gardens is owned by the City of St. Petersburg. It is 100 years old this year. While relatively small—at 6 acres—the visitor (Photo by isn’t conscious of this, for the botanical garden’s winding, paved path- Mike Evans) ways are packed, seemingly to the square inch, with plants. Palms, of course, but virtually every tropical plant that can be grown on the Sun- coast. And everything looks GOOD, cared-for, loved. Not a weed is a p p a r e n t . Perhaps the most evident plant is Strelitzia nicolai, the giant white bird of paradise, which is all around the garden. For those who hadn’t been to St. Pete in a long time, the funky shops and small restaurants on Central Avenue, the main drag, were a revela- tion. Some visitors also stopped at the long-established Haslam’s Bookstore, filled with used and new books. —John Kennedy Palms, Strelitzia nicolai, flamingos at Sunken Gardens. (Photos by Matthew Kennedy) December 2017 5 The Palmateer Rob’s Palms: From His Own Camera Above, from left to right: Caryota obtusa leaf, Ar- chontophoenix tuckerii (Libby Luedeke), Copernicia baileyana Right, bottom: Dypsis lanceolata Renew your CFPACS membership for 2018. See page 17. Satakentia liukiuensis December 2017 6 The Palmateer Reflections on Visiting Rob Branch’s Estancia Rob Branch, prez Dave Hall, gift Dypsis madagascariensis. (Photo by Maryann Krisovitch) Would you believe that 40 peo- vines. In short, just about every- ple would show up on the first, thing that might be grown in the some mature palms, including a coldest day of the new winter at lowest end of Central Florida on Bismarckia, so there would be Rob Branch’s personal botanical the west coast. Rob says he has more sunlight. garden in Sarasota? Not only “126 varieties of palms.” Phil Stager was the auctioneer chilly--in the 30s in much of Cen- Touring the 1.5-acre garden, with after lunch. Then came the plant tral Florida early in the morning— its 700-feet of walkways, is an sale, with three vendors present. but also heavily overcast, with exhilarating experience on a typi- The chapter presented Rob with spells of heavy rain. Folks could cal sunny day. So, not seen at its a thank-you gift of a 15-gallon just as easily stayed home, comfy best when very wet and dripping. Dypsis madagacariensis . in bed, on a Saturday morning At one visitor’s moan about this, President Dave Hall gathered the where there would be no good the editor pointed out that all and bottled water. Members attendees in a circle at the end, reason for any sensible person to that moisture was good for the brought side dishes, including pointed out the CFPACS Board do other than sleep in. But, yes, plants in the garden. To be sure, desserts and ‘adult’ beverages. members and asked if anyone that many folks did appear, which the day grudgingly accommo- Despite serious, heroic efforts we wished to make any announce- is about the number for most dated CFPACS by raining less as didn’t manage to eat it all, ments. IPS Director Bob Blenker meetings. the clock moved toward noon: a though the main dish items were spoke on the forthcoming Bien- Maybe palm (and cycad) enthusi- couple of brief showers, not all pretty much gone by time of de- nial in Colombia in May/June. asts are just a mite crazy. Or, that heavy. Some of the serious parture. Rob’s friend, Joanne, Among the visitors was David could it be, that they are de- visitors put up their umbrellas, worked the kitchen duties. Casella from the First Coast chap- voted? Or a little of both, per- undaunted in their progress Of course, Rob led a tour through ter, centered around Jacksonville.