Palms   Hyospathe elegans

Synonymy: H. pitteri Distribution & Habitat: An understorey plant of closed-canopy forest, widely spread throughout Central and South America, and southward to Bolivia. Description: A small, clustering, understorey palm with smooth stems, to 5m tall and 2-3 cm in diameter. The leaves are up to 2.0 metres long, simple or pinnately divided, with up to 25 pinnae on each side. The fruits are black, oblong, and up to 15 mm long and 7 mm in diameter. General: The leaves are are used for thatching huts, and the palm heart is chewed to protect the teeth from rotting. Culture: Warm, sheltered, and moist. Figure 2. H. elegans

Figure 1. H. elegans

Contributed by:

Ti-Palm' Society (Figure 1&2)

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