Local growers have reported that the key to germinating Gastrococos is heat and humidity, and have described such strategies as placing seeds in plastic ziplock bags and placing them in trays on rooftops or in attics, burying the seeds in compost piles and then digging out the seedlings, or planting seeds in community pots of decomposing oak leaves and pine needles. Time to germination has always been measured in months to a year. So, after many years of unsuccessful attempts to germinate Gastrococos myself with the traditional methods (community pots or ziplock bags of damp sphagnum moss kept in warm locations), I decided to try to increase the heat and humidity as much as possible.

Fig. 1 shows a simple and inexpensive method I developed that results in a germination rate of over 90% in as short a time as two weeks during our summer season.

An important key to success is to use fresh seeds. Ripe fruits are orange-yellow and contain an irregularly globose, pitted, black endocarp 2–4 mm thick that contains the seed (Fig. 2). Throughout this paper, I refer to the endocarp and seed together as the “seed.”

The key to this method is finding the largest plastic pot that easily fits inside a bucket with a tight-fitting lid. This enables the maximum number of seeds to “steam.” A 25-cm (10-inch) pot in a 20-liter (5-gallon) bucket holds about 35 seeds in a single surface layer. This technique is upwardly scalable for larger seed quantities as long as temperature and humidity are maintained at a high level.

During the time of this trial (May–September 2001), daily air temperatures ranged from 26–33ºC (78–92ºF) while water temperatures in the bottom of the bucket ranged from 26ºC (78ºF) after four days of cloudy weather to 33ºC (92ºF), the typical daytime water temperature. Soil temperature around the seeds ranged from 27ºC (80ºF) at night to 43ºC (110ºF) (daytime under sunny conditions). Humidity inside the bucket was not measured but was very high. No condensation was observed on the walls or lid of the bucket. Using this method, I have been able to germinate Gastrococos in as short a time as two weeks, with four weeks being the average time. Because Gastrococos has remote germination, once the cotyledonary stalk emerges from the seed, I carefully remove the seedling and place it in its own pot with a well-drained mix. The first seedling leaf is visible above the soil in about 2–3 weeks after the cotyledonary stalk emerges. All leaves have golden-brown prickles – making handling the seedling a matter for care. The stem is descending shortly and recurved “saxophone style” (Fig. 3).

In South Florida, it takes about 6–8 years before the palm begins to develop an upright stem with overlapping leaves that precedes trunk development. Even at this stage, Gastrococos is a showy addition to any garden and is deserving of wider cultivation (Fig. 4). Perhaps with this germination method, plants will become more readily available.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank South Florida palm enthusiasts John Bishock, Dale Holton and Howard Waddell for sharing their Gastrococos growing techniques with me.

2. Gastrococos endocarps, whole and sectioned.

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3. The saxophone stem of Gastrococos.

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4. Photo of juvenile Gastrococos next to Vivian Waddell in Howard and Vivian Waddell’s garden in South Florida (Photo. C. Migliaccio).

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[ Germinating Gastrococos – Quickly and Easily ] [ Palm Botany in the Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea ] [ Coccothrinax boschiana ] [ Cold-Hardy Palms in Southwestern Ohio ] [ Palmetum of Santa Cruz de Tenerife ] [ Landscaping with Palms in the Mediterranean ] [ Bonsai Palms ] [ Growth Rates of Palms in Fairchild Tropical Garden ] [ A Practical Guide to Germinating Palm Seeds ] [ Phoenix canariensis in the Wild ] [ Chuniophoenix in Cultivation ] [ Trachycarpus latisectus: The Windamere Palm ] [ History of Subtropical Gardening ] [ Palms in the Cultural Landscape of the Dominican Republic ] [ Vegetable Ivory and Other Palm Nuts, Seeds, as an Arts and Crafts Medium ] [ Rattans and Rheophytes-Palms of the Mubi River ] [ Pelagodoxa henryana in Fiji ] [ Editorial from Principes ] [ The Red Sea Hyphaene of Saudi Arabia ] [ Medemia argun Lives! ] [ Palms in Europe, the Palms of Elche ] [ Palms in Eastern Panama ] [ Trachycarpus princeps ] [ Pseudophoenix sargentii in the Florida Keys ] [ Trachycarpus in Canada ] [ Ravenea in Madagascar ] [ Coconut Palm in East Africa ] [ Chrysalidocarpus decipiens ] [ Rhapis Palms ]

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