Chamaedorea macrospadix

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A palm. It has a single stem. It grows 3 m tall and 1.5-2.5 cm across. It can grow erect or be creeping. There are 3-7 leaves and they have leaflets along the stalk. There are 7-13 leaflets on each side. They are narrowly sword shaped and 37 cm long by 5 cm wide. They are glossy underneath. The flowering stalk is erect and on a long stalk. The male stalks have 10-25 flowering branches and the female stalks have 8-15 branches. The fruit are oblong and 0.7-1 cm long by 6-8 mm wide. They are black.

There are about 100 Chamaedorea species. They are mostly in Central America. There are 77 species in tropical America.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in lowland and mountain rainforest. It is often on limestone soils. It grows between 100-1300 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Central America, Costa Rica

How it is used for food

The young flowers can be fried, cooked in soups or eaten in salads.

Edible parts

Young flowers

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Chamaedorea pedunculata Hodel & Uhl; Nunnezharia macrospadix (Oerst.)Kuntze;