"Bird of paradise" palm seeds available.

[AndyAmine.]

Hi all,

I have some spare seeds for the "Bird of paradise" palm (large variety) up for grabs if anyone wants any. Im happy to trade for anything big or small that I dont have.

The bats have been busy so it looks like there are a few more pods with seeds forming in the near future so I should have them for a while.

[Torsten]

is this S.nicolai? if so, I would love some/lots.

[AndyAmine.]

Hi Torsten,

Yes, they are S.nicolai seeds.

Ill see how many I can get for you. maybe 8 for now and some more in the comming weeks when some more pods with in reach are ready. I can only reach them from my 1st story balcony otherwise I would need a tall ladder. LOL

They are quite large and heavy so the postage my add up a bit., do you want them now or is the camping trip fine?

[ferurs]

Hello my name is Ferenc Jansen im intrested in seeds of the bird of paradise,but 1 question you named it palm, isnt it a strelizia or am i wrong about that? i cane offer seeds of the Calliandra calothysus or Lofanta.

[planthelper]

hi, ferurs wellcome to the forum!

yep strelizia nicolai is sometimes called the travellers palm/tree, as for the fact that you can make a hole into the soft base of the fronds, which will provide you with water.

i collected a few nicolai (named after the russian zsar) seeds years ago and brought them into austria, there my sister in law germinated one of them successfully, and this plant is now the envy of all her friends!!

[mr toodly]

Unfortunately, these are so common in the United States, that they no longer have any novelty.

[AndyAmine.]

I have a question Torsten, how do I know when they are ready to be harvested and you say they are perishable, how long before they are no good because from the look of it I may be able to collect some from the ground as well.

If you are really keen on them Torsten I can borrow a ladder from some place and get some from the other tree's as well.

Here are some pictures of the most accessable tree.

Please tell me if they are ready to be picked or not.

I would love to swap from some of the small variety, they would go well on my balcony.

They are quite common here too R.Jackson, I jst happen to have some spare seed, so I thought I would offer them up, thats all.

[Siggor]

stuff

Edited December 11, 2009 by spudamore

[Torsten]

I guess that if the pod has burst then the seed is ripe.

I really have no idea about viability. I just know that S.reginae seed kept for 12 months was unviable.

S.nicolai is quite common here too r.jackson, however due to the sheer size of even the young plants they are always quite expensive. Also, most are propagated from tissue culture and hence there is little genetic diversity. That's why I am keen on seed.

[mr toodly]

Oh, I wasn't trying to question the post or anything like that. I was just under the impression that this plant was uncommon in your neck of the woods. I was actually a bit jealous that you guys were able to appreciate this plant. S. reginea and S. nicolai are so beautiful, but they can be found in practically any apartment complex here. This has also turned me off to philodendrons.

[planthelper]

all those srelizias are very common in oz.

the nicolai has been planted extensivly, if you go for a walk at any place along the costal belts you see one every few minutes. often people buy them in a nursery when quite small and than proceed to plant them very close to the house or pathway... than a few years down the track the monster leaves will take over your space!! this is even made worse by the fact that it pups profusely.

in short in the right aspect this plant is an abolute beauty, in the wrong location it's a pain in the ass.