Pacaya Palm, Palmito dulce
Chamaedorea tepejilote
Family: Arecaceae
What it is like
Pacaya Palm, Chamaedorea tepejilote, is a small palm tree from the Arecaceae family found in southern Mexico, Central America, and northern Colombia where it is considered to be an important vegetable crop and an ornamental. It is usually single-stemmed and grows up to 7 m in height and 10 cm in trunk diameter. The trunk has swollen nodes and the crown is composed of loose dark green fronds. The flowers are fragrant, greenish-yellow in colour, and form into clusters just below the crown. Pacaya palm is dioecious and fast-growing. It can be solitary or clumping. The immature, male inflorescence is eaten raw or cooked as vegetable and added to salads. The leaves and apical buds can also be cooked.
Chamaedorea tepejilote is an evergreen Tree growing to 7 m (23ft) by 5 m (16ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 7
Where it is found
Moist, humus-rich soils in the understorey of the rainforests. Forests, often on limestone soils, at elevations up to 1,600 metres.
Northwestern S. America - Colombia; C. America - Panama to Mexico.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.
Countries/locations it is found in
Found In: Australia, Belize, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, South America.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Edible portion: Cabbage, Palm heart, Male flower, Bracts. The immature, male inflorescence is eaten raw or cooked. The male flower is eaten while immature in salads. It is also boiled or fried in egg batter. It is harvested before the inflorescence opens, at which stage it looks like an ear of corn. Added to salads ( traditionally eaten in Guatemala on the Day of the Dead) or cooked as a vegetable (called "rellenos de pacaya," and is often served with tomato sauce, like chiles rellenos.) . A bitter flavour, it is sometimes cooked in several changes of water. Leaves - cooked. The apical bud, often known as a 'palm heart', is eaten as a vegetable. Eating this bud leades to the death of the tree because it is unable to make any side shoots.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 0
Other Uses: None known
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,600 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20° - 28°c, but can tolerate 15° - 32°c. It can be killed by temperatures of 2°c or lower. Plants can tolerate occasional light frosts. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,500mm, but tolerates 700 - 3,000mm. An easily grown plant if its basic requirements are met. It requires at least moderate shade, and can tolerate deep shade. It requires a well-drained, moist, humus-rich soil. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 6 - 8. A variable plant in the wild, with some forms growing 7 metres or more tall and others only 2 metres. A fast-growing plant, producing flowers and fruit when only a few years old. A dioecious species - both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.
Propagating it: Plants are grown from seed.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Full shade, semi-shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
The juice of the fruit of most members of this genus is said to be an irritant to the skin.
Its other names
Local names
Pacaya Palm, Chamaedorea tepejilote, Other Names: Cana verde, Pacaito, Siplina.
Synonyms
Chamaedorea anomospadix Burret Chamaedorea casperiana Klotzsch Chamaedorea columbica Burret Chamaedo