What are your favorite Trees and Flowers ? (Palmetto: home, living)

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by Optional Angel

Nice pictures Reptoid. I agree, coconut palms are sexy. I don't like palmetto trees, they always look all brown and dead. I don't understand why they even plant those ugly things. I like it when trees are bright green.

I agree with you here,Coconuts are the top beauties while Palmettos are the ugly sisters of the palms, however Palmettos look much better in a large cluster.

[Reptoid Humidian]

I have to say that I absolutely fell in love with the Sabal palmettoes when I first came to Florida in 1984 partly because they are so strange and prehistoric looking with their scale-like leaf stumps and their costapalmate leaves, and because of the sheer numbers that these things grow in. I would see groves of thousands upon thousands of these trees and it was like seeing some tropical savannah African jungle area. I have a coffee table book called "Above Florida" and some of the aerial photographs are astounding when you see the unbelievable numbers of these things!





Another thing I thought was amazing about Florida was the never ending carpets of Serenoa Repens (Saw Palmettoes). --- But I wouldn't want to try to walk through a thicket of THOSE!!! LOL!!

[popcorn247]

I, too, love Sabal palmettos. I wish I had planted them along my driveway rather than foxtail palms (Wodyetia bifurcata). Foxtails are so messy!

[Reptoid Humidian]

Don't knock the Foxtails! They are another species I love just because they get that ridiculous color of green! They do so well in the South Florida climate. It just blows away anything we have here in San Diego!

[Reptoid Humidian]

Another reason I like the Sabals is because they resemble the Talipot palms of Southeast Asia, except that the Sabals are much smaller.

The leaves of Talipot palms (Corypha Umbracalifera, Corypha Utan, etc.) are among some of the most massive in the palm world, with the exception of the leaves of Raphia Farinifera.

These Coryphas grow great in Florida, by the way. They have several at Flamingo Gardens, and several at Fairchild Gardens.

Also for what it's worth there's a palm near the fork in New River in Fort Lauderdale that looks like a Corypha. This is a live webcam for River Reach in Fort Lauderdale, so It will only be visible during the daylight hours. Actually Morning to Noon and slightly cloudy conditions are best for seeing this palm. As I type this the sun is shining into the camera and it's hard to make out the outlines of the palm, but you will see it toward the right side of the image on that little triangular peninsula thing where the river forks.

River Reach condominium community on private island in Fort Lauderdale, Florida












Florida, in a lot of ways resembles Southeast Asia or Vietnam. I have an album by The Clash that has a cover image that was shot by a railroad track Somewhere in Southeast Asia. It could just as easily be a shot of an area near one of the many Florida canals that run through the various farmlands in SW Miami.




:.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by Reptoid Humidian

I have to say that I absolutely fell in love with the Sabal palmettoes when I first came to Florida in 1984 partly because they are so strange and prehistoric looking with their scale-like leaf stumps and their costapalmate leaves, and because of the sheer numbers that these things grow in. I would see groves of thousands upon thousands of these trees and it was like seeing some tropical savannah African jungle area. I have a coffee table book called "Above Florida" and some of the aerial photographs are astounding when you see the unbelievable numbers of these things!

Another thing I thought was amazing about Florida was the never ending carpets of Serenoa Repens (Saw Palmettoes). --- But I wouldn't want to try to walk through a thicket of THOSE!!! LOL!!

lots of large eastern diamondbacks in those saw palmettos. ive hiked through dozens of areas like those you posted pictures of.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by Reptoid Humidian

Another reason I like the Sabals is because they resemble the Talipot palms of Southeast Asia, except that the Sabals are much smaller.

The leaves of Talipot palms (Corypha Umbracalifera, Corypha Utan, etc.) are among some of the most massive in the palm world, with the exception of the leaves of Raphia Farinifera.
:.

I know a guy in coral gables with 2 talipot palms

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by popcorn247

I, too, love Sabal palmettos. I wish I had planted them along my driveway rather than foxtail palms (Wodyetia bifurcata). Foxtails are so messy!

id love to grow sable palms for the epiphyte opportunities. you could grow so many kinds of ferns in them.

[Reptoid Humidian]

Oddly enough, Canary Island Date Palms seem to work good for that too, even though they're more of a coastal desert tree.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by Reptoid Humidian

Oddly enough, Canary Island Date Palms seem to work good for that too, even though they're more of a coastal desert tree.

true but theyre also susceptible to lethal yellowing.