Dec 2, 2024 SFPS Holiday Party
For the second year in a row, the South Florida Palm Society and the Tropical Flowering Tree Society teamed up to throw a bountiful holiday party in the Garden House at Fairchild Garden. Paul Gehrke, TFTS board member and grower par excellence, gave away many beautiful poinsettia cultivars midway through the evening. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, a number of interesting items were again entered into the silent auction. In another corner, there was a variety of free palm seeds. And was there food!!! Attendees brought in some very tasty potluck dishes. No one left hungry. Kudos are in order for Kim Martin, Rusty Brown, Val Carroll, and Sally Philips who helped set up the food service.Next up was the election of SFPS board members. Five seats on the board are available every year. This year, four incumbents — Linda Apriletti, Ellis Brown, Lenny Goldstein, and Mike Tevelonis — were reelected to three-year terms. The new member of the board is David Lord, our very capable webmaster. He has been responsible for, among other things, producing our most recent online sale booklets. And finally came the big event of the evening, the live auction of plants (or the auction of live plants — whatever). Once again Jeff Searle was in charge, assisted by Travis Searle and Ellis Brown. And once again, there were some very generous donations from a number of sources. We are very grateful for that support. Following is a list of almost all the plants that were contributed on Monday night: Archontophoenix tuckeri (2) . . . . . . . Redland NurseryAreca vestiaria (red) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plant CreationsBeccariophoenix alfredii . . . . . . . . . . . Natures TapestryBrahea armata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery Botanical CenterCalyptrocalyx albertisianus . . . . . . . . . Jeff SearleCalyptrocalyx elegans var. boalak . . . Mike TevelonisCarpoxylon macrospermum . . . . . . . . Richard HawkinsCarpoxylon macrospermum . . . . . . . . David LordChambeyronia macrocarpa . . . . . . . . Natures TapestryChrysalidocarpus lutescens‘Thai Dwarf’ . . . . . . Natures TapestryCoccothrinax crinita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plant CreationsCoccothrinax fragrans . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery Botanical CenterCoccothrinax readii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike TevelonisCoccothrinax spissa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paulette JohnsonCoccothrinax sp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery Botanical CenterCopernicia curtisii (blue) . . . . . . . . . . . Toi MansenCopernicia gigas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toi MansenCopernicia rigida (seedpot) . . . . . . . . Armando ReyesCopernicia sp. (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Armando ReyesCubanola domingensis . . . . . . . . . . . . Toi MansenCyrtostachys renda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike TevelonisDictyosperma album . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Redland NurseryGeonomaHemithrinax ekmaniana . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike TevelonisHowea forsteriana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Redland NurseryHydriastele pinangoides . . . . . . . . . . . Plant CreationsItaya amicorum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter WarnerKerriodoxa elegans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike TevelonisLicuala mattanensis ‘mapu’ . . . . . . . . . Natures TapestryLicuala thoana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natures TapestryLicuala sp. ‘Kalimantan mottled’ . . . . Natures TapestryOrania palindan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff SearlePtychosperma schefferi . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff SearleRhapis ‘Super Dwarf’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paulette JohnsonSabal antillensis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery Botanical CenterSabal lougheediana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery Botanical CenterSabal palmetto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Montgomery Botanical CenterThrinax radiata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plant CreationsZamia inermis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natures Tapestry