The Palmateer Volume 12, Number 1 Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society March 2020 A Cuban Palm Adventure 2019 CFPACS visited Selby in the morning. (Photo by Libby Luedeke) By Paul Craft The group listening to guide before An intrepid group of palm nuts city tour of Camagüey. March 7th Sarasota Meeting gathered in Ft Lauderdale, Flori- been to Cuba before. Four people da, on Halloween 2019 in readi- came from Hawaii, two from Aus- Spring 2020: Another Great home of William and Marie Selby, ness for a 7:00am flight the fol- tralia and the rest were Floridians Event high school sweethearts who lowing morning to Camagüey, married in 1908 in Ohio. In their from the southern half of the By Libby Luedeke Cuba. It was a diverse group of first year of marriage, as trans- state. Some were nursery people We were blessed in many ways 19 people bound together by continental race enthusiasts, they while others were backyard palm this weekend. Beautiful weather their wanting to see the Cuban decided to travel to Sarasota, a hobbyists. and beautiful gardens. Marie Sel- palms growing in habitat. Four- place William had visited before by Botanical Gardens is our first teen of the group had never (Continued on page 3) (Continued on page 4) stop. Selby was originally the March 2020 2 The Palmateer Concealed behind the greenery on this modest Sarasota unpaved street is the Branch Botanical Garden. (Photo by Matthew Kennedy) CONTENTS March Meeting report 1 The Palmateer Cuban Palm Adventure 1 The Palmateer is published four times a year: March, June, September/October, Cryosphila warscewiczii 7 and December by Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society, a chapter of the Interna- tional Palm Society and of The Cycad Society. Cold Hardiness Update 7 The views expressed are not the official positions of the society nor of its Board. No material may be re-printed or reproduced without permission. Arenga pinnata 17 Mementos of the Past 18 ©2020 Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society 4th Quarter Seed Bank Report 21 The closing date for submission of material for the next issue is the 1st of the President’s Message 21 month preceding publication. The Palmateer From the Editor’s Desk 22 Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society Membership Information 23 3225 13th Street Vero Beach, Florida 32960-3825 CFPACS Board list 24 Editor: John D. Kennedy [email protected] March 2020 3 The Palmateer Sarasota Meeting plants. They receive around (Continued from page 1) 230,000 visitors annually. Rob Branch, who not only hosted and Marie became the first our second stop at his home, also woman to cross the country by gave us the tour of Selby. Currently automobile. They became enam- the gardens are hosting an event ored with the area and started called “Salvador Dali, Adventures coming every winter. In 1921 of the Mind.” There were a num- they decided purchase land on ber of art-inspired installations Sarasota Bay. Bill was an oil man throughout the garden. It was very as was John Ringling and Calvin well thought out and challenged Payne. They ultimately shaped the eye as well as the mind. There the character of Sarasota. In the Zamia portoricensis seen at Selby. (Photo by Libby Luedeke) is a beautiful collection of palms as late 1920’s Marie became the well as cycads that are very well that trip truly cemented mine founder of the Sarasota Garden imagined, and weed pulling that established and wonderfully main- and my husband’s journey into Club. would challenge the most ar- tained. There are also tons of epi- botany that ultimately brought William and Marie never had dent of gardeners. phytes–plants adapted to live in us to the palm society. I look for- children but hoped to help fu- Rob has been a long time mem- the tree canopy, including orchids, ward to every meeting and the ture generations. They devel- ber and supporter of the bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns. palm family we have become. oped the William G Selby and CFPACS. He allows us to take The first time I saw this garden was Marie Selby Foundation which Spring 2020: Another Great over his home every few years in 1995. I was pretty much still a helped lots of local students and Event Part 2 to see the successes and the newlywed. We had another couple after William’s death Marie pre- failures of keeping up the thickly that we traveled with from time to Stop number two is at Rob pared a special trust that would -planted property. We are never time that raved about this wonder- Branch’s home. Rob has owned create and maintain a botanical disappointed at the beauty and ful place. We took a long weekend this property for over 20 years. garden on their property. It has fully understand how much and headed over. I still recall being There have been many changes become a respected world lead- work it takes to make it all hap- overwhelmed by the diversity and over the years with hurricanes, er in study and conservation of (Continued on page 5) tropical atmosphere and I feel like freezes that no one would have March 2020 4 The Palmateer Cuban Palm Adventure (Continued from page 1) It was a 10 day tour that I laid out with the details of food, lodging, and transport arranged by Tree Institute International in Key West, Florida. Renier Ro- driguez was our very capable tour guide who regaled us with the history of Cuba and fun facts during the bus trips to var- ious habitats. Raúl Verdecia, the top palm botanist in Cuba, was also with us during the entire Left, the bicycle taxis used in our city tour of Camagüey. Right, Sujin Marcus giving some scale to trip sharing his wealth of Coccothrinax pseudorigida on the left and Copernicia cowellii on the right. knowledge about the palms and other native flora. The group banded together quite well and enjoyed each other’s company while seeing the habitats or en- joying rum in the evening dur- ing tales both real and make believe. Copernicia fallaensis in Our itinerary had us begin our habitat. adventure in the central Cuban city of Camagüey, where we (Continued on page 6) March 2020 5 The Palmateer Sarasota Meeting (Continued from page 3) pen. The collection continues to grow with the gift from the chapter of a Dioon rzedowskii supplied by Jerry Luedeke. It will fit in nicely. Rob just got through painting the house in true tropi- cal spirit that I appreciate great- ly. I felt it truly captured the es- sence of joy that the gardens al- so emit. We thank you much, The Dali Swirl at Selby: clear blue Dave Hall and Keith Santner at rest in the conservato- Rob, for continuing to be a part “rocks” that look like ice. ry at Selby. (Photo by Matthew Kennedy) of this organization. (Photo by Libby Luedeke) Auction and sale plants at Rob Branch’s. (Photo by Matthew Kennedy) March 2020 6 The Palmateer Cuban Palm Adventure Coccothrinax miraguama subsp. (Continued from page 4) havanensis from afar* Coccothrinax miraguama subsp. spent 2 nights. From there, we miraguama headed northwest to Cayo Coco Coccothrinax miraguama subsp. off the central north coast of the roseocarpa main island, spending 2 nights Coccothrinax montana there, and then southwest to Trinidad for a night and further Coccothrinax muricata This mature Coperni- on to Cienfuegos on the south Coccothrinax pseudorigida cia cowellii has a very coast for a night. Our zigzag jour- Coccothrinax montana x Coc- full petticoat. ney continued back to the north- cothrinax pseudorigida Below, Copernicia west coast and finally ended up Colpothrinax wrightii hospitas growing in in Havana for 3 nights. We did a Copernicia baileyana serpentine soil. day trip further west exploring the scenic Vinales area. Copernicia brittonorum There are 98 taxa of palms native Copernicia cowellii to Cuba and we visited a third of Copernicia fallaensis them in habitat. They include: Copernicia glabrescens var. gla- brescens Acoelorrhaphe wrightii Copernicia glabrescens var. ra- mosissima Acrocomia aculeata Copernicia hospita Acrocomia crispa Copernicia macroglossa Coccothrinax borhidiana Copernicia x sueroana Coccothrinax litoralis (Continued on page 8) March 2020 7 The Palmateer Underappreciated Understory Palm: Cold Hardiness Observations Update Cryosophila warscewiczii By Jeremy Evanchesky By Jeremy Evanchesky For those interested in the pro- Growing palms in Central Florida gress of the Cold Hardiness Mas- started to track cycad observa- is an adventure. Some years ter Data, the compilation spread- tions separately. You can follow bring frost-free winters, others sheet now has over 2,000 obser- the progress and download the bring weather typical of southern vations and is being regularly up- spreadsheets at: Georgia. Palm growers typically dated. Some of the updates in- https://www.palmtalk.org/ keep their more tender plantings clude observations from the Jan- forum/index.php?/topic/61358- in protected microclimates, uary 2010 and January 2018 0000-cold-hardiness-observation shielded from wind and under freezes at Leu Gardens and in -master-data/ some form of canopy for protec- Gainesville, Tampa, and Cape tion against frost. Unfortunately, Coral. A spreadsheet has been some tender palms prefer or re- quire full sun exposure. For those looking for a palm that grows extremely well as an un- A group of Cryosophila derstory palm, tolerates some warscewiczii growing in Lakeland frost and will not outgrow a rea- under dense shade. “Root Spine palm” will steer sonably high canopy, consider some growers away, keep in Cryosophila warscewiczii. mind that the root spines typical- This palm typically tops out ly point downward toward the around 30-40 feet, stands up to ground.