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Species of the month

Walking Palm

Some facts on this palm:

Height: Up to 25 meters.

Stem diameter: Up to 16 cm.

Leaves: Greenish blue up to 1 meter long.

Fruit: Yellow, round to oval in shape; about 3 cm. in diameter.

Habitat: Rain forests in tropical Central and South America. Requires warm, sheltered climates that are very humid as well as moist soils.

Range: Brazil, Panama, Nicaragua and Hawaii.

First described: By the German botanist and explorer Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, who originally named it Iriartea exorrhiza.

A walking tree? I agree: it isn't a common sight, yet Socratea exorrhiza can walk. Well, sort of. This tree's roots grow from the base of the trunk high above ground, making it appear as though it is standing on stilts. New roots constantly emerge from a higher point than older ones below. Over time the tree levitates itself off the ground, while the lower, older roots rot and fall away. The new roots grow towards better light and consequently the tree's position changes horizontally as well. The process is very slow and the palm does not seem to visibly walk, but over a period of a year, it can actually move up to 1 meter from its original position. The genus Socratea contains five species of walking palms found in tropical America. It belongs to the Arecaceae or "palm trees" family which has around 2600 species.