Red feather palm, Flame palm
Chambeyronia macrocarpa

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. The trunk is tall and straight. It is light coloured. It has leaves with leaflets along the stalk. The palm varies in form. It grows 13 m tall. The crown-shaft is 1-1.3 m long. It bulges at the base. The leaf crown forms a circle. This is 2.6 m across. There are 8-10 leaves and they are 4 m long. The leaflets are widely spaced and long and narrow. They are 1-1.6 m long. The leaflets taper to a point. Mature leaves are deep bluish-green. New leaves can be red. The flowering stalk emerges from below the crown-shaft. It is 30 cm long. The fruit are 5 cm across. They are round or egg shaped.

There are 2 Chambeyronia species. They both grow in New Caledonia.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows between 660 and 1000 m altitude in New Caledonia. It likes moisture. It needs rich, humus laden soil. The soil needs to be well drained. It needs a warm location. Young plants need sheltering from the cold but become more cold tolerant as they mature. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In Townsville Queens BG.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, New Caledonia, Pacific, SE Asia, Singapore

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from fresh seed. Seed can take some months to germinate.

It is slow growing.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Chambeyronia hookeri Becc.; Cyphokentia macrocarpa (Brogn.) auct. Kentia linenii Linden ex Andre; Mentiopsis macrocarpa Brongn.; and others