Germination of Palm Seed

134 PRINCIPES [Vo]. l5 Germination of Palm Seed

JAcr< I(osnpnNx Key West, Florid.a

One question often asked of me is: Astrocaryum aculeatum r044 "How long does it take a palm seed to A.up' 65 germinate?" This is one question I do A. Standleyanum (l) 68,47 & 96 not know how to answer. Is there an A. uulgare (I') 4I3 & 334 answer? Can you answer it? Bactris Gasipaes 69 For several years I have kept careful B. major lBB germination records. I now submit them B. rhaphidacantha 197 to The Palm Society in hopes that they B. sp. (Nloore# 9529') 150 may help someone,someday, to find the Bentinckianicobarica (I) 85,82&74 answer. Here are my data: Borassussp. (f) 283"265 & 273 Brassiophoenix d,rymophloeoiiles 245 Butia capitata t49 No. of Name of palm* days B. capitata var. capitata 161 B. eriospatha (.I') 673 & 230 (2) Acrocomia mexicana 440 Calamussp. (1) 107 & 408 A. scleracarpa(3) oro Calyptr ocalyx spicatus I9 Actinorhytis Calapparia 7l Carpentaria acuminttta 78 Aiphanesacanthophylla (1) 9I,43 & 95 Caryota Cumingii (I) 142& 114 A. caryotaelolia(I) 7I, 60 & 61 C. mitis r49 A. erosa (I) 58& rr0 C, urens 198 carrupestre(I) 62 & 62 Allagoptera Chamaerlor ea cataract(rrunl 82 ArchontophoenixCunninghamiana 90 C. costa"ricana 4T 53 a. "p. C. elatior II8 Aliciae 4I Areca C. erumpens(l) 235 & r94 A. (I) 55,25 & 30 Catechu C. glaucilolia 244 (I) 42&6I A. concinna C. rnetallica 197 A. Langloisiana 114 C. microspadix (.I) 105,98 & 65 A. 3I "p. C. monostachys 148 A. triandra(I) 33&41 C. oblongata (l') 40 & 1I7 ArengaEngleri (\,4) I1I,506,626, C. oreophila 2L4 283 & 83 C. Seilrizii (I, 5) 138,203,220 &69 A. microcarpa 26r C. Tepejilote 4l A. obtusit'olia (I) 374,232& 238 Charnaeropshumilis var. arborescens67 A. pinnata 189 C. humilis var. humilis I24 A. "p. 181 Chelyocarpussp. (Moore # 9548) I79 A. tremula 103 Chrysalid,ocarpusCabadae (L) I27 &78 A. und,ulatifolia 268 Clinostigma Gr onophyllum (l) A. Wishtii 298 113& 127 Arikuryroba schizophylla(.L) 51 & f07 Coccothrinax a,cuminata 49 C. aha * Numbers in parens following name refer 63 to key at end o{ list. C. argentata 76 197r1 KOEBERNIK:GERMINATION I35 c. crinitq,0\ 187& 164 H. Sbhatan 38 C. lragrans(l) 24A,24L,20I&59 11. sp. # I 70 C. Martii 47 11.rp.#2(I,7) 290&96 Cocos nucilera (I) 125 & tB2 H.sp.#3 96 -1 C. nucilera var. green Malay (t) H.sp.#4 t+ 76, 151& 153 H.sp.#5 207 C. nucit'eravar. golden Malay I84 H. thebaica (L) 6r,82&66 C. nucilera var. yellow Malay 88 H. turbinata r47 Copernicia glabrescens 32 le'ssenid Bataua 67 C. prunit'era (C. cerilera) 56 .I. sp. (Moorc # 9454) 37 C. hospin (l) 60&r22 Kentio'psis olia aelo rmis 317 C. paucillora 33 Laccospailix au,stroJasica(I) 71 & 53 c. rp. 174 Latanin Lodd,igesii (l) 57&64 C. Yarey r22 L. lontaroid,es 100 C. Yarey \ar. robusta 114 Licwaln el.egans 74 Corozo oleilera 379 L. gracilis 363 Corypha Lecorntei B9 L. grand,is (l) 53, 85, 80, 168 & 107 C. urnbraculifera (l) rr7 &226 L. Lauterba;chii 220 Cry os o phila War sc ew ic zii 68 L. Muell,eri L23 Cyrtostachys Renda LL4 L. peltan (L) r00 & 389 Deckenia nobilis 257 z. rp. 303 Desmoncus horrid,us 161 L. spinosa (I) 78,334,475&36r D.sp.#l 45 Linospad,ixmonostachya (L) 54 & 110 D.sp.#3 B4 Liuistona australis L22 Dictyospenna album (L) 86&43 L. chinensis (I) 62&32 D, aureurn r02 L. decipiens 233 Drymophloeus Beguinii (I) 45,43 & 34 L. humil,is 48 D. oliaaeform.is r23 L. Jenkinsiana 130 D. .p. 104 L. Muelleri 130 Elaeis guineensis 288 L. Robinsoniana(I\ 129,175&LAl Erythea anndta 16r L. rotundilolia (L) 67,62&r99 E. Brandegeei (I) 297& 383 l. sp. (Australia) (I) 110 E. Branilegeei x edulis 238 Manicarin sp. 80 E. ed,ulis (I) 78,186 & 141 M ascar e na lage nic aulis 65 E. .p. 62 M. Reaaughanii 106 Eugeissona sp. L44 M. Verschallehii (I) 84&58 E. triste 2ro Mauritin flev116to 199 Euterpe edulis (I) 53,77&4L Maximiliana Mortinna 361 Gastrococoscrispa (G. o,rm.entalis\(l) Microcoel.um Wed'd,elinnurn(1) 86 & I74 66,107&L32 Neoilypsis Decaryi 52 Gaussia attenuota (I) 25,r48&287 Neonichol.sonia Wotsonii L27 Geonoma baculilera 2W NephrospermaVanhoutteanum (L) 69, G, congesta t84 57"154 & 176 G. longisecto 278 Normanbya Norrnanbyi 79 G. membrananea(1,6) 48 & t4r Oenocarpuspanatnanus (l ) 25&4L Heterospathe minor 63 Opsiand'raMaya (L) 26,38&79 H. coria,cea(I) 73&223 Oranim appendiculata 206 Hyphaene crinita 72 Orbignya sp. rt5 136 PRINCIPES tVol. 15

Phoenicoph,oriu,mBorsigianum (I) 21, S. minor (I) L23&122 42,81,59&124 S. Palmetto 90 Phoenix canariensis (I) 34&39 S. paruit'lora(l) 22&5I P. d,actylifera 78 S. peregrina (L) 48&49 P, X macrocarpa 30 S. texana (I) 82,70&169 P. reclinata 67 S. Yapa (I) B2&I27 P. Roebelenii 38 Salacca conlerta 37 P. rupicola 114 S. .p. 33 P.sp.#1 12 Smahentia liukiuensis 70 P.sp.#2 47 Scheele,aLeand,roana 151 P.sp.#3 D/ S. phalerata 466 P. syluestris 36 S. Preussii (1,9) 86 & 304 P. zeylnnica 25 Siphokentia Beguinii lI7 Phytelephasmacrocarpa (I) 376 &I92 Socratea durissima 137 Pinanga Kuhlii (I) 45,66 & 36 S. exorhiza II2 P. rp. 183 Strongylocaryum sp. (FG 60-2580) 40 P.sp.W.S.#1 43 Syagrus carnpestris 135 Polyand,rococoscaud,escens 59 S. quinquelarin 63 Prestoea nlontana, 38 S, Sancona 77 P. tp. 26 S. "p. 5t Pritchardia Hillebrand,ii 40 Thrinax Morri.sii (I) 64&L79 P. pacilica (I) 46,77 &44 Trachycarpus Fortunei (l) 94&r52 P. .p. 46 T rithrinax acanthocoma 72 Pseudophoenix ainilera I78 Veitchia arecina 43 Ptychandra glauca 49 V. loannis (I) 30&42 Ptychococcusparadoxus (I\ 192 & 180 V. Merrillii (I) 30,51 & 35 Ptychosperma angustifolium. I57 I/. Montgomeryana(I\ 38,43,34,42, P. hospitum 61 46&88 P. Nicolai 94 Z. sp. (FG 57-650C) 35 P. rp. 370 V. sp. tFG 57-66BFl 30 Raph.ia Hoolteri 73 V. Winin (I) 33&26 ft. sp. (8) 209,237,243,545&619 Versclwlleltinsplendida (l) 38,52& 58 Reinhardtin gracilis 95 Wallichia sp. # I 184 R. gracilis var. gracilior (l) 88&64 W.sp.#2 230 Rhapis humilis (L) 125& 106 Wettinia quinaria 46 (L\ 57& 141 Rhopaloblaste elegans 35 Zombiaantillarum Rhopalostylis Baueri (l) 47,82&I29 Also: R. Cheesernanii 137 Unidentified Amazonian palm #r 77 (I) Rhyticocos omara 53&45 il ll #s 44 Roystonea princeps 34 il ilil #10 66 R. regia 119 Note: Some time ago a fellow came Sabal bermud,ana I37 into the nursery and handedme a bag of S. Blaclcburniana 99 palm seedand told me he had just come S. causiarum (I) 82,43&I07 from the Amazon the day before. The S. domingensis 4B seedswere all mixed up and I could see S. jamaicensis 37 11 different species. He didn't know S. rnexicana 4A anything about palms. 1971t KOEBERNIK: GERMINA'TION 137

Knv Hyphaene, and [/eitchia will germinate (1) more than one planting. in soil without much difficulty. (.2')Acrocomia mexicana440 days total; There is much variability in palm seed after removing from the hard shell, from the same in{lorescence, as noted in l3B days. Arenga Engleri. Is there any reason why (3') Acrocomia sclerocarpaB7B days; there should be a difference o{ 515 days after removing from the hard shell, in the germination o{ seed from the same 3?3 days. inflorescence?*" These seeds were fully (4) Arenga Engleri (I11, 506, 626') all mature and all planted together at the ' {rom the sameplanting and the same same time. inflorescence. A group ol Copernicia rndcroglossd seed with pericarp removed germinated (5) ChamaedoreaSeilrizii QA3, 220) divided seed in hal{, planted % in and the lear.es were in long curls. Seed muck and % in Perlite." 203 in of the same species without the thin pa- muck and 220 days in Perlite. per shell on them had straight leaves as (.6')Ceonoma mernbranacea 48 days in Sabal. Why would the thin shell make fresh seed,141 dried seed. a dif{erence such as this? (7) Hyphaenesp. (290,96) both plant- Scheelea Leand,raana serminated with ings were {resh seedfrom the same much conf usion. O{ the 157 seeds tree. planted 22 seeds germinated double, 8 (8) Raphia sp. old seed,all plantedto- germinated triple, and 1 quadruple. gethel at the sametime. Multiple germination has been noted (.9)Scheelea Preussii (86, 304) all here, but nothing compared to this. from the same planting; 2 seeds It is my hope that sorne of the many germinatedat 86 days,no more un- so far unanswered questions may be til 304 days. resolved by members of The Palm So- ciety pooling their information on ger- One must recognize that there are mination. many variables which can affect germination: temperature, type of planting ** August Braun suggests a reason in Prin- 'oA medium, humiditl'" and probably most cipes 12: 54, \968: most peculiar phe- of all, freshnessof the seed. We know nomenon and one typical for the palm family that palm seedshould be planted as soon is the delayed germination of the seed at cer- usu- as possibleafter maturity. tain intervals. Early-germinating seeds, ally few in numbers, are followed at intervals In southern Florida rve have found by more groups of germinating seeds. Fre- that seed appears to germinate more quently, but depending on the species, the rapidly and in greater numbers i{ second batch represents the majority o{ seed- planted in Perlite. Some of the tougher lings. Delayed germination continues, but in reduced numbers. Often the last seedlings ap- Bornssus.Cocos nucifera. seedsuch as pear when the first seedlings have developed into strong young plants. There is an obvious * Perlite is a lrade name for a volcanic rock benefit to the plant in delayed germination, expanded bl heating. lhen ground into tiny especially in the natural habitat. Losses caused "pearls." white \'erv light and porous, it aids by climatic in{luences or herbivorous animals in aeration rrhile retaining some moisture. It thus may be replaced by late-germinating may be used alont. mired rsitl.rpeat moss or seeds." Even assuming this to be a correct soil. Since it contains no nutrients, plantlets analysis, however, the mechanisms controlling should be placed in good :oil at an early stage the phenomenon seem not yet to be under- of growth. stood. Eo.