Chapai, Pacaya, Monkeytail pacaya
Chamaedorea graminifolia

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A palm. The stems are in clusters. They are 3 m tall and 2-3 cm across. There are 4-6 leaves. They have leaflets along the stalk. There are 22-42 leaflets on each side. The leaflets are narrow. They are arranged regularly and in the same plane. The few leaflets at the base can be clustered and spread in different planes. The leaflets are 40 cm long and 1.5-2.5 cm wide. The flowering stalk is erect and male and female flowers are similar. There are 10-35 flowering branches. The fruit are round and 0.6-1 cm wide.

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 rainforest often on limestone soils. It grows between 700-1500 m altitude in Central America.

Countries/locations it is found in

Belize, Central America, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, North America

How it is used for food

The flower is cooked in egg batter. The fruit are eaten fresh when ripe. They are also fried in lard and eaten with tortillas.

Edible parts

Flowers, fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Chamaedorea schippii Burret; Nunnezharia graminifolia (H. Wendl.) Kuntze;