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Re: Strange plant-- Help ID?

On Fri, 24 Jul 1998 Moira wrote:

>>From your description, I think it must be either Beschorneria or
>Doryanthes. These are superficially quite alike, but the leaves in B
>have a distinctly greyish cast, while in both species of D they are an
>ordinary light, slightly yellowish green.

I agree, the choice has to be between Doryanthes or Beschorneria - it
all hangs on the description and exactly how 'yucca-like' the plant
is.  I would argue that of the two, Beschorneria is distinctly more
yucca-like, on account of its somewhat shorter, glaucous leaves and
superficially, the inflorescence appears to be rather like a salmon
red yucca - until the flowers start to open of course.  

>In both species of Doryanthes the leaves are said to be more frost
>resistant than the inflorescence.  My information comes from two
>different sources, so it is a bit difficult to compare hardiness, but I
>would say that Beschorneria is likely to be the more hardy. I have seen
>Both Beschornaria and D palmeri growing in  the main Hutt Valley (but
>not Wainuiomata up in the hills). I guess their minium temps would
>extremely rarely be lower than -3 C while ours can ocassionally strike
>-6 C

Darn it Moira!  There I was, hoping you were going to tell me that in
your experience, Doryanthes excelsa was hardier than Beschorneria! <G>
I can grow the latter here, but have never seriously considered trying
Doryanthes.  I suppose minimum temperatures would not pose too much of
a problem - I've rarely seen much lower than minus 3C here and it is
not unusual for my garden to escape frost altogether, but I fear that
continuous, cool, winter wet, coupled with low (rarely much more than
28C) summer maximums, might not suit it too well.  Still, I suppose it
might be worth a try one day when I've got more room and more
importantly, can track a plant down over here.  The sight of those
immense, arching inflorescences always leaves me breathless with
admiration.

On another tack.... is it me, are certain palms making a lot of growth
this year?  My young Butia has raced away, pushing out 5 leaves in 2
months whilst Phoenix canariensis and Syagurus romanzoffianum are
acting as though they were in a hot-house.  Even Brahea armata is now
on its 3rd fan with another 'spear' emerging, since the middle of May
and that is normally desperately slow in our climate - 1 or 2 leaves
per season being the norm.   All this despite us having the coolest,
wettest summer for well over 20 years (it feels like permanent autumn
here).  I almost envy the folk in Texas!

David Poole.
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