Palms   Chamaedorea cataractarum

Synonymy: C. atrovirens Common Names: Cascade Palm Cataract Palm Mexican Hat Palm Habitat: Stream banks and beds in Mexico. Description: A small, attractive, trunkless, clumping palm, with long thin leaflets. It will eventually form quite a large dense, clump if left long enough. General: This plant is a rheophyte, which means that it grows in stream beds, and is often covered by floodwaters. Its long thin leaflets, and trunkless habit are an adaptation to present as little resistance as possible to flowing water, and thus prevent being washed away each time it floods. Culture: This is a very popular palm, both for indoor use and outside. It likes a lightly shaded, moist position, altho it will take full sun if the water is kept up to it.

Figure 1. C. cataractarum

Figure 2. Attractive clump of C. cataractarum at
Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens, Brisbane.

Contributed by:	Ian Edwards (Figure 1)
	Mike Gray (Figure 2)

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