NATURE’S WONDERS September 2020
by Tommy Clarkson
Choco Palm Astrocaryum mexicanum Family Arecaceae Also known as Lancetilla or Chichon The genus Astrocaryum is comprised of eighteen, very spiny, pinnate-leaved palms. As a whole, they grow naturally in the West Indies, through Mexico, through Central America and into South America. The genus name is derived from the Greek words meaning “star” and “nut”, referring to the pattern on the seed coat. While a few of these are of the clumping sort, most are solitary trunked while a few have subterranean stems. For the most part, these are undergrowth, rain forest plants preferring full to partial shade.
In “An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms,” Robert Lee Riffle and Paul Craft stated, “Some have plume-like leaves because the leaflets grow from the rachis at different angles; many others
From the distance, at first, casual glance, the Choco Palm doesn’t look treacherous!
have flat leaves with leaflets in one plane. All the leaflets are silvery or white beneath. The juvenile plants of many species
They then address the proverbial heart and soul (or would that
have entire leaves with unseparated leaves.”
be needles and spines?) of these small palms, “These species are of exceptional beauty at every stage of growth, have stout
They go on to say, “the inflorescences grow from the leaf
and vicious spines on most of their anatomy, and are difficult
sheaths and are accompanied by a large, persistent, spiny pad-
to handle; they are not recommended for planting in high traf-
dle-shaped bract. The flowering branches bear male and female
fic areas. (Might I editorially embellish on this and suggest “In
blossoms, are usually short, and are formed at the end of long
no areas near where folks might be?)
peduncles which elongate and become pendant as the fruits mature. The latter are formed in clusters and are yellow to
This spininess is one reason these beauties are still rare and
brown, mostly globular and spiny.”
difficult to find, but are worth the effort.”
Coastal Mexico’s Lifestyle eMagazine
manzanillosun.com
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