Caryota obtusa

Caryota obtusa
Giant Fish Tail Palm

Caryota obtusa (also called C. gigas by some authors) is the King Kong of the fishtail palms. It is found scattered over a vast area between northeast India and northern Thailand (which is where our seeds come from), always growing in the mountains. Its awesome size --very tall with a thick solitary trunk-- astonishingly fast growth, and massive and flatly held leaves make it instantly recognizable, appearing like a gigantic treefern. It is a 'must' for tropical and warm temperate parks and gardens. Also, as it grows at quite some altitude, (up to 1000m/3300ft in India and 1600m/5300ft in Thailand) there is every chance that it will grow in cooler conditions, and may even tolerate a degree or two of frost. Such a rate of growth needs to be fuelled by a rich and moist soil and an abundance of water, especially in dry weather.

germination comments by our visitors
For general germination instructions click here.

Also see plant cultivation comments below.

Seeds from this species ...

...easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
took longer than i expected to germinate. placed in glass jar in slightly dry sphagnum moss under a lamp. the temp. in the jar was 90-96F at daytime and 80F at night when light was turned off. sprouted shortly after 2 1/2 months.
Submitted on 21/03/2004 by anton chuidian wutang8364@yahoo.com

...very easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
planted in baggies of 50% moist sphagnum peat moss and 50% perlite. Left at room temperature (72-76 degrees). Some sprouted after a month or so, almost 100% after 3 months. So far (8-9 months after planting) the plants only have the initial 2 leaves-- no subsequent leaves yet, although they look healthy & have a strong root system.
Submitted on 04/03/2004 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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