Chamaedorea brachypoda

Chamaedorea (kahm-eh-doh-REH-ah) brachypoda (brah-kih-POH-dah)
Edge Hill, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Photo by Daryl O'Connor.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Chamaedorea (kahm-eh-doh-REH-ah) Species: brachypoda (brah-kih-POH-dah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Clustering Leaf type: Entire leaf, bifid.
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Pacaya - Guatemala.

Habitat and Distribution

Guatemala, esp. near the town of Izabal. Honduras. Wet lowland forest on the

Kampong Botanic Garden, in Coconut Grove (south of Miami), former estate of David Fairchild. Photo by Leu Gardens botanist Eric S.

Atlantic slope; to 150 m elevation.

Description

Moderately fast growing, dioecious, forest understorey palm. Rare in cultivation, critically endangered in the wild. It has smooth, green stems, 0.9 m. (3 ft.) tall, 0.7 cm. (0.3 inch) diameter with no obvious leaf scars, and small partially segmented, pinnate (feather) leaves, 0.5 m. (1.5 ft.) long, 0.25 m. (0.8 ft.) wide, dark green above and, light green beneath. Leaves have a deeply notched apex. A very attractive little palm, which ought to be much more widely grown. Requires a sheltered, shady and moist position. This species makes a wonderful ground cover as each plant spreads far by creeping root-stocks.

Clustering, cespitose (growing in tufts, or clumps) palm, with rhizomes. 1 - 2 x 3 - 4 m tall. Stems: 5 - 7 mm thick, light green, smooth, slender, ringed, intermodes 5 - 8 cm long. Leaves: 5 - 8 in the crown, spreading, bifid; sheath 15 cm long, tubular, 8 mm wide, drying brown; petiole 5 - 10 cm long, slightly groozed and green above, rounded and pale below; rachis 10 - 12 cm long, 10-12 cm long, angled or ridged above, rounded and pale below; blade to 30 x 22 cm, 11-13 primary nerves on each side of rachis, prominent and keeled above. Inflorescences: infrafoliar, breaking through persistent leaf sheaths at nodes just below living leaves; peduncles 3-10 cm long, 3-4 mm wide at base and apex, ± stiff and ascending, green in flower, orange in fruit; bracts 6. Fruits: 5-10 mm long, ellipsoid, black. Editing by edric.

Culture

To about -1.11°C (30°F), but freezing is best avoided. It naturally occurs in wet rainforest or seasonally wet forest in montane locations. In this type of natural environment temperature fluctuations are slight, and this palm prefers a constantly cool or mild climate with little temperature difference between day & night, and Summer & Winter. Under extreme freezing conditions we recommend you keep this palm as dry as possible, and well wrapped up. Cold Hardiness Zone: 9b

Comments and Curiosities

Etymology: From the Greek brachy meaning short, and podo meaning foot, perhaps in reference to its rhizomatous branching stems, or short petioles or peduncles.

"This is not one of my favorite palms... it is a small, unsplit leaf, suckering species that never looks good in our Mediterranean climate... did see one growing central Florida that looked great, though. Here it is always yellowy, ratty looking and munched by snails. It doesn't like low humidity or hot winds, either. However, it is relatively easy to grow so it is still pretty common out here. Chamaedorea stolonifera is a similar palm and a much better choice as it stays green and is less invasive." (Geoff Stein)