Slow News Day – The Fishtail Palm
I am sure that my readers who have been with me for a while can tell when I’m completely stuck for an idea. I go to my garden. I can usually find something there that inspires me enough to get the words flowing.
When I stumbled out onto the veranda this morning in hot pursuit of the muse, I stopped, as usual, to admire my fishtail palms. Here is a shot of the stately columns that adorn the front of our cosy abode:
I planted these about six years ago. As you can see, they grow rapidly. Unfortunately, they do not live long, as is true of many types of palm.
I admit to filching the seedlings from the Madang Resort Hotel. I asked the gardener if I could have a couple of them. He shuffled his feet and said that it was very difficult to get the seeds to germinate. After a few moments of silence, he picked out the two scrawniest specimens and gave them to me. I doubt if Sir Peter missed them.
Of all the palms that I’ve seen that produce ‘maiden hair’ fruit (my expression – goofy, I know), the fishtail is, in my opinion, the most spectacular. Eunie tells me that there are several kinds of birds that feast on the little berries when they ripen. She observes this when she does her aquarobics at the Madang Resort Hotel pool three mornings a week. They turn a deep orange colour when ripe:
Those who are not familiar with tropical palms might wonder about the common name – fishtail. This photo explains better than words:
I love trees. Botany was my favourite subject at uni. I wish I had more room to plant a wider variety.
I know that the genus of this variety is Caryota. However, there are two very similar species. One is Caryota urens and the other is Caryota gigas (The Giant Fishtail Palm). I can’t tell which these are. If anybody knows, please email me.
When you get to my age, you’ll be like me. Looking for fast growing trees.
No related posts.
Another post referring to the Fishtail Palm
Jump in the time machine and see new fruit growing.
[...] Fishtail Palms:I have written several times about Fishtail Palms. They fascinate me. You can review here, here, here, and here. You may be thinking, “Big deal.” Remember, however, that what [...]
[...] positive. There is another possibility. I’ve written before about our Fishtail Palms here, here, here, and [...]