Pseudophoenix sargentii

Pseudophoenix sargentii
Buccaneer Palm, Cherry Palm

This rare palm is found in coastal areas of the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, Hispaniola, a small area of Cuba, and very eastern Mexico. It has a slightly swollen, waxy, ringed trunk; a waxy crownshaft; and arching, dark grey-green, very leathery, pinnate leaves. The Buccaneer palm grows very slowly, but, because of its extreme coastal habitat, it will grow in almost any well-drained soil and is one of the most salt and wind tolerant of all palms, i.e. ideally suited for coastal planting. It will do well in both warm temperate and tropical climates. Unfortunately, it is now endangered in most of its native habitat and also is rare in cultivation. Even small plants fetch high prices in the nursery trade, and it is hoped that this fabulous and unusual palm will be a little more commonly cultivated in the future with the high-quality seeds we now have available in good quantities and on a regular basis.

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

Also see plant cultivation comments below.

Seeds from this species ...

... are very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
These seeds were very easy. I put them in a ziploc bag with a wet (not damp) paper towel on a windowsill that gets morning sun. They germinated after about 3 and a half weeks.
Submitted on 24/09/2007 by Susan Bickel susantiedemann@aol.com

...very easy to germinate and need up to 1 month to sprout.
Acquired 200 seeds of P. Sargentii var. saonae var. saonae (slowest growing of the species). Soaked in water for a few days to ferment and remove yellow pulp. Then cracked and removed hard black shell and soaked in mild chlorine solution for 20 minutes. Planted seeds a half inch deep in 6 inch deep container filled with 100% coarse perlite. I drilled holes in the bottom of the container for water drainage and placed it in another container the same size. I placed a third container upside-down on top of the setup to close in moisture and keep humid. The setup was kept around 90F on heat mat. I flushed the perlite twice a week with water to keep it fresh. First sprout popped up today after only 3 weeks!! They key to these is constant heat in a semi-humid meduim and fresh sterile perlite to fend off disease. Time to order more...
Submitted on 17/05/2004 by JBD socalwholesale22@yahoo.com

...easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
Fresh seed collcted in Miami (in Dec 2002) Cleaned then refrigerated for 3 weeks then put on bottom heat in a propigation tray with humidity dome at 30-35 C seeds began germinating after 60 days after 90 ays most have germinated. Some are still appearing. I think the refrigeration helped trigger the germination.
Submitted on 30/04/2003 by Doug DLG0070@aol.com

...difficult to germinate and need up to 1 year to sprout.
This seed was aquired from palm society auction. It was red & ripe,after the initial 48hr soak removed all the fleshy pulp but a hard outer shell remained. carefully removed that & bagged 1/2 spagnum moss & other in community bed in shadehouse. After 6 months both methods show germination slowly & still have more seeds that havent popped yet. Long term project at best.
Submitted on 16/05/2003 by werner weigt bushwack2000@bellsouth.net


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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.