Remote and Adjacent Germination

When we look up at a graceful, sweeping specimen of a mature palm, it is amazing to believe how this plant came to be from just a seed you hold in the palm of your hand (no pun intended!). This article discusses remote and adjacent germination - the two ways a palm seed turns into a living plant.

Remote Germination

Some of us who purchase palms at a smaller size such as seedlings or even one gallon sizes oftentimes see a seed attached to the plant, with an “umbilical cord” going under the soil and disappearing. These palms have seeds that germinate remotely. Remote relates to the fact that the seed sends a cotyledon downward which creates a base where the meristem pushes up its first spear (and leaf) above the surface of the soil. Many of these seeds have conspicuous eyes on one side of their outer husk which determine where the cotyledon will emerge. One of the most common palms, the Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) is a remotely germinating seed. Many of these remote germinators such as Bismarckia and Corypha require deep soil to allow for this base to develop. Be careful when handling palms that are remote germinators bareroot; if the plant is still attached to the seed, and the umbilical cord is rigid, the plant may still be depending on the seed for food.

Adjacent Germination

A majority of palms have their meristem and roots form at the site of the seed; these palms are adjacent germinators. The name adjacent is given to the fact these palms germinate adjacently to the seed. Almost everyone has seen a coconut with its first leaf emerging from the side of the nut, sending roots down into the soil below. Many times adjacent germinators will not send down roots until a few leaves have emerged from above. If you have ever canoed in South Florida or the tropics, you may have seen a floating coconut with its seed already germinated and no roots below. As the seedling grows, roots will anchor the plant in the soil, finishing the germination process.

Here are two pictures showing remote and adjacent germination. The first one is a Licuala grandis, germinating remotely. The second is a Dypsis malcomberi, germinating adjacently. [pics coming soon]