Pacaya, Palmito dulce
Chamaedorea tepejilote

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A very slender but robust palm. The trunk has swollen nodes. It has prominent annual rings and prop roots near the base. Plants can be solitary or clumping. They can be 3-7 m high. The stems can be 1.5-5 cm across. The crown is of loose dark green fronds. These leaves are divided into leaflets along the stalk. The leaves can be 1.5 m long and 1 m wide. They arch over. The flowering stalks are borne below the crown. The flowers are fragrant. They are greenish-yellow. The fruit are 1.5 cm long and black when ripe. The fruit stalk is red. There is one seed.

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. Shade is essential. It can grow in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions. It grows naturally in rainforest. It is often on limestone soils. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Townsville palmetum.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Belize, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, South America

How it is used for food

The male flower is eaten while immature in salads. It is also boiled or fried in egg batter. It is usually cooked in several changes of water to remove bitterness. The middle layer of the fruit is edible when fully ripe.

It is commonly eaten in Guatemala and Mexico. Plants are cultivated for this purpose.

Edible parts

Cabbage, palm heart, male flowers, bracts, fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

It can be quite fast growing.

Its other names

Local names

Cana verde, Nurum, Pacaito, Pacaya, Siplina, Tepejilote

Synonyms

Chamaedorea alternans H. Wendl.; Chamaedorea anomospadix Burret; Chamaedorea casperiana Burret; Chamaedorea columbica Burret; Chamaedorea exorrhiza H. Wendl. ex Guillaumin; Chamaedorea sphaerocarpa Burret; Chamaedorea wendlandiana (Oerst.) Hemsl.; Edanthe var aepacis O.F.Cook; Nunnezharia alternans (H. Wendl.) Kuntze; Nunnezharia casperiana (Klotzsch) Kuntze; Nunnezharia telejilote (Liebm.) Kuntze; Nunnezharia wendlandiana (Oerst.) Kuntze; Stephanostachys casperiana (Klotzsch) Oerst.; Stephanostachys telejilote (Klotzsch) Oesrt.; Stephanostachys wendlandiana Oerst.;