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SEABREEZE EDUCATION
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PALMS
Palm Trees 101
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Hardiness 101-
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Cold Hardiness 201-
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Cold Hardiness 301-
Humidity/Protection
Indoor Palms- What to Look For
Indoor Palms- Care and Maintenance
Palm Tree ICU (Intensive
Care Unit)
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Native Palms
Palms Native to USA
Variegated Palms 101
Photo Gallery-
Variegated Palms
Hybrid Palms
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Variegated
Palms
Overview
Variegated palm trees are defined as palms with yellow or white striping
on the leaves, and sometimes stems, caused by a viral infection or genetic
hybridization. For the most discerning collectors, variegated palms are
the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Some, like variegated Lady
Palms (Rhapis sp.), have been
propagated (reproduced) and grown for
hundreds of years and there are hundreds of types of “registered”
cultivars (sub species) in the world, with some fetching prices of up to
$20,000 for one plant. Others, like Watermelon Flame Thrower Palm (Chambeyronia
macrocarpa var. watermelon), have a
variegated stem but no striping on the leaves
(right picture).
Most collectors are drawn to variegated palms due to their rarity and
beauty, while most average home-owners are turned off by them due to their
“sick” look of having yellow or white striping. This is sometimes
confused with nutrient deficiencies by those who don’t understand or
appreciate their value and beauty. Variegated cycads (cycads are plants
which are closely related to palms) are even more difficult to find. Most
variegated palms and cycads fetch prices of $100 to $10,000 each on the
open market.
Variegation in palm
trees is not always stable. Many palms will produce one leaf with one
stripe on it during its life. This does not designate it as a “variegated
palm”, but likely represents a brief stage of trauma or viral defect in
the palm. Conversely, true variegated palms will show striping on many
leaves. This striping does not go away with age and can sometimes be seen
on the stem or crownshaft (neck) as well. If the palm has a clumping
habit (produces several stems from the original stem), the variegation is
usually seen in different amounts on each stem. Whereas, if the palm is a
solitary species (only has one stem), the variegation is only seen on the
main stem but may be passed on to future offspring if the palm produces
seed.
Buy variegated palms online
Reproduction
Like all
palm trees, variegated palms reproduce by seed or by clumping. Seed
collected from a variegated palm will grow into variegated offspring at
different percentages. For example,
 seed
from a variegated Clustering Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis)
(left picture)
typically germinates with 20% of its offspring becoming variegated like
the mother, while seed from a variegated Cabbage Palm (Sabal
palmetto) may only germinate with 0.05%
of its offspring becoming variegated. Hence, the variegated
Cabbage Palm is usually more valuable than the variegated Clustering
Fishtail Palm.
Variegated clustering palms such as Chamaedorea, Rhapis,
Cyrtoctachys, and Caryota mitis can be
propagated by dividing each of the stems of the main plant. If done
correctly, each stem will grow as a new plant and will begin clustering
itself. This feature can make these palms more valuable to the nurseryman
or collector because the palms can be separated and made into new plants
indefinitely. It may take several years for a solitary-stemmed palm to
produce seed to grow into more variegated palms. This makes
solitary-stemmed palms more valuable in general.
Buy variegated
palms online
Causes of
Variegation
Variegation can be
either viral or genetic. Most variegated palms have a viral infection
that causes blockages in the chlorophyll. This viral infection is
somewhat similar to albino people who have pale skin or problems with the
pigment in their skin that causes white blotches. No matter how many
nutrients albino people eat or how much they try to tan their skin, the
pale blotches will remain. This is much like variegated palms which must
be kept in shade otherwise the lighter striping on the leaves may get
burned by direct sunlight. As such, most variegated palms must be grown
indoors or in the shade, with the exception being the variegated
Clustering Fishtail Palm, which thrives in full sun.
Genetic
variegation can be seen in the Foxy Lady Hybrid (Wodyetia x
Veitchia) (right
picture) and other
intergeneric hybrids (hybrids between two different genus). In this case,
two palm species with similar chromosome counts are hybridized to make a
new palm species. In order for this to happen, both palms must have a
similar number of chromosomes within their cellular makeup. For example,
a fan palm from the Mexican desert will not hybridize with a fishtail palm
from China. But, a Dypsis
sp. from Madagascar will easily
hybridize with another similar-looking Dypsis
sp. from the same region. When
two similar palms are hybridized, the resulting plant will have the
characteristics of both parents and will sometimes produce chimeras. In
this case, the hybrid palm is composed of two different types of cells-
one type from the mother and one from the father. These cells can “group
together” in the stem and leaves which separates the chlorophyll, creating
streaks of dark green and separate streaks of yellow or white. Only the
green streaks will draw in sunlight and photosynthesize. The yellow or
white streaks do not provide any nutrients to the plant, and, because of
their lack of energy-producing cells, will burn if placed in direct
sunlight. Thus, a heavily-variegated palm tree (mostly yellow or white)
will grow much slower and not get as large as a lightly-variegated palm
tree that has minimal striping. In the most basic terms, all variegated
palms are “sick” and will grow much slower than their normal siblings.
Buy variegated
palms online
 Albino
Palms
Many growers who
germinate thousands of seeds at once notice that some come up pure white.
These white seedlings are known as “albino”. Albino seedlings are
mutations that never produce any chlorophyll- this causes them to appear
completely white. These seedlings will grow until the nutrient reserves
contained in the seed are completely used up, which means they usually
don't grow beyond their eophyll (first leaf). Do not confuse these
with variegated seedlings, which have green stripes.
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