Chamaedorea tepejilote

[palmtreesforpleasure]

We see many pictures of single trunk varieties

While the ratpack was looking up the tall palms at Darwin botanical gardens, i discovered these types of C.tepejilote along the ground.

In the next lot of pictures you will see clumping and decumbent types

Hope you find this interesting

enjoy

colin

[palmtreesforpleasure]

another

[palmtreesforpleasure]

another clumping picture

[palmtreesforpleasure]

searching for light

[palmtreesforpleasure]

This one  branched of from the clump and grew under the leaf litter and came up 4m away

[palmtreesforpleasure]

Notice  how aerial roots are growing into the ground off the arc in the trunk

share your own pictures of these types for comparison

thank you

colin

go back to ratpack at Dawin botanical gardens

[Phil]

Colin,

I've had a few suckering C. tepejilote in my garden for 20 years.  Here's a few comments I've observed:  The trunks are thinner than the regular tepejilote.  The overall height is a bit less as well.  The plants are fairly compact and in my experience don't "run".  Leaves are about like the true species but perhaps a bit shorter.  And, perplexing to me, my female has never set seeds.  Female Chamaedoreas in my garden always hybridize with something and seed; but not this species.   So, to grow this, I had to seek out seeds and finally got some from location.  The plants are now 5g size and suckering.  I assume they'll grow into the plants described above.  Regular C. tepejilote will put out roots at the basal trunk and appear to be trying to "stilt root", but don't actually pull it off.  Re "runners" for some distance, I haven't seen this.

Phil

[PalmGuyWC]

Phil,

Paul Drummond used to grow both kinds of C tepejilote in his "jungle" on Old Cutler Road in Coral Gables. The single trunked ones, during long periods of wet weather would actually grow stilt roots and sometimes connect with the ground. His actually naturalized and seedlings were coming up all over the place, even in areas that didn't get watered.

Paul had winding paths through his native tropical hardwood forest, and he had planted an extensive collection of Chamaedoreas along the paths. It was quite a sight to see and looked very natural. Unfortunately when he sold the property, the area was buldozed to make way for a megahouse.

Dick

[palmtreesforpleasure]

Hi Phil

In Don Hodels book it says they can be decumbent, until now i had not seen clumping or decumbent ones, so it came as a pleasant suprise

regards

colin