Attalea speciosa

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Figure 1. A. speciosa

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Common Names:

Motacu or Motacuchi

Habitat:

Grows in the lowlands of Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil (pantanal). Sometimes in damp and warmer areas in "palmares" forms in quantities of thousands.

Description:

Massive feather palm, with Cocos nucifera look but in giant form and with the leaves larger and drooping. Very impressive palms at view. The old leaves don't fall off, thus it develops a "skirt" of dead leaves under the crownshaft.

Culture:

This palm is known locally in cultivation, is present in the streets, and a lot in public parks. Would be adaptable to subtropical areas, and is frost resistant. Seeds are big and easy of to germinate it but slow. Seedlings are slow to build the trunk.

Figure 2. Closeup of the crownshaft

Figure 3. A. speciosa in a public park, Argentina.

Figure 4. A. speciosa infructescence

Figure 5. A. speciosa

Contributed by:

Gaston Torres Vera,
Cordoba, Argentina (Images copyright Argentina Palms) (Figure 1,2&3)
Michael Pascall (Figure (4&5)

External Links:

Kew, PalmWeb, JSTOR, Trebrown

Google, Google Images, Flickr, PACSOA Forums, PalmTalk