Asterogyne martiana

Asterogyne martiana
Pata de Gallo

This beautiful palm from Central America has simple leaves up to three feet long and a foot wide with a deep notch at the tip. Its maximum height is only abt 3m (10ft), and it grows best in semi-shade in rich and moist soil. It is a real eye-catcher in the understorey of a tropical or warm subtropical garden and also makes a wonderful potted plant indoors.

germination comments by our visitors
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Also see plant cultivation comments below.

Seeds from this species ...

... are very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
I find Asterogyne Martiana very easy to germinate although many would disagree. I started with only 1 mother plant but I was able to produce and sell more than 1000 Asterogyne Martiana plants. And right now I have about 100+ seeds already germinated and more coming. What I do is, I picked the fruit at its ripest moment (the color will be Blackish Violet and the fruit will be very soft to touch). I will then extract the seeds from the fruit making sure that the seeds are clean and that there are as little fruit remains as possible. I will then soak the seeds in B1 liquid(3/4) and water(1/4) mixture then seal it in an air-tight container. After 3 weeks the small roots will be visible and they are now ready for planting. Use a mixture of sterile perlite, coir dust and garden soil for your medium in planting the seeds.
Submitted on 14/02/2008 by Elton Mark C. Jimenez eltonmarkjimenez@yahoo.com

...easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
I obtained 70% germination of RPS seed within 6 weeks at 30C in a damp 50/50 mixture of perlite and vermiculite. Potted into a community pot after roots and shoot started to develop. Growth of the seedlings is slow in low 20s and faster at up to 30C.
Submitted on 15/11/2004 by one of our visitors


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plant cultivation comments by our visitors
Also see germination commnets above.

Plants from this species ...

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	• • • Write a plant cultivation comment and enter to win Euro (€) 50 worth of seeds • • • Please note: These comments are on how to cultivate the PLANTS once the seeds have germinated.

If you wish to read more on palm cultivation, we highly recommend Ornamental Palm Horticulture by Timothy K. Broschat and Alan W. Meerow, available in our bookshop.

Ratings and comments reflect individual experiences and the views of our visitors. They do not necessarily describe the most appropriate methods, nor are they necessarily valid for all seeds or plants of this species. Germination and plant cultivation success depends on many different factors; nevertheless, these experiences will hopefully aid you in your effort to get the best germination results from our seeds and the best growth results from your plants.

We recommend:

Martius, Book of Palms
by H. Walter Lack

Hardcover - 450 pages
19.8 x 13.5 inches!
11.1 pounds!
50 x 34 cm, 5 kg

Our Rating:

Suitable for: all

Martius's magnificent work on the varieties of palm tree. This epic folio was based on Martius's expedition to Brazil and Peru with zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix. From 1817 to 1820 the pair travelled over 2,250 km (1,400 miles) throughout the Amazon Basin, the most species-rich palm region in the world, collecting and sketching specimens.
In his epic work, Martius outlined the modern classification of palm, produced the first maps of palm biogeography, described all the palms of Brazil, and collated the sum of all known genera of the palm family. For apart from his own collection of specimens and notes, Martius also wrote about the findings of others.
Martius's folio is unusual in its inclusion of cross-sectioned diagrams, conveying the architecture of these mighty trees. Equally remarkable are the color landscapes showing various palms—often standing alone—which have a simple and elegant beauty. This famous work is an unrivaled landmark in botanic illustration and taxonomy.

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