Palms   Attalea phalerata

Common Names: Scheelea Palm, Shapaja (local name) Distribution & Habitat: Found in both savannah and forest of Brazil, Peru and Paraguay. Description: A stout, solitary palm whose trunk rarely gets taller than 4m and which is often covered with old leaf bases. It has a plumose head of up to 30 large leaves that are held erect in a shuttlecock-like crown. It has large bunches of bright yellow, oily fruits that are up to 11cm long. General: The plants are used extensively by the locals. The leaves are a major source of thatch and the fibrous seed coating is chewed and sucked when ripe. Culture: A sunny position in the tropics/sub-tropics.

Figure 1. A. phalerata at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago.

Contributed by:

Miguel Jaramillo (Figure 1)

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