Description

Socratea exorrhiza This tree is a type of palm tree which has the scientific name Socratea exorrhiza. It is also known as palm walk or cashapona. The roots are shaped like small legs.
This tree can grow to an average height of 15-20 meters with a diameter of around 12 centimeters. However, some have also been found with a height of up to 25 meters and a diameter of 17 centimeters.

This tree grows new roots like new legs. As it grows, the tree will slowly tilt towards the new roots and move two to three centimeters per day. Socratea exorrhiza is found in Bolivia, Brazil North, Colombia,

Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Widespread in Central America and South America. Isla Colon, Isla Bastimentos & mainland. Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimento. Sendero del límite del parque, entrando por Sal Creek, Playa Larga; zona de humedales. Bosque maduro. Parte final del sendero. In Ecuador it occurs in moist forest on both sides of the Andes, and is often quite common. Below 1000 m. elevation.

Cashapona grows quickly, has a very small, light canopy, and develops well from naturally dispersed and discarded or thrown-out seeds. Maintenance is minimal, and it grows well with almost any crop. These factors combine to make it a common species in non-flooded fields and fallows. Rainforest. A common species in non-flooded fields and fallows. Lowland to premontane rain forest, at elevations from sea level to 1,000 metres.

Description

Socratea exorrhiza, the Walking Palm or Cashapona, is a palm native to rainforests in tropical Central and South America. It can grow to 25 metres in height, with a stem diameter of up to 16 cm, but is more typically 15–20 m tall and 12 cm in diameter. It has unusual stilt roots, the function of which has been debated. Many species of epiphyte have been found growing on the palms. The palm is pollinated by beetles, and various organisms eat its seeds or seedlings.

Cashapona is a fast-growing, single-stemmed, evergreen palm tree growing from 8 – 25 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 12 – 18 cm in diameter; it has stilt-like aerial roots near the base that can be up to 3 metres long; and is topped by a crown of about 7 leaves that can be 1.5 – 2 metres long.

The tree is often used locally, harvested from the wild for food, construction materials and medicine.

Probably the most famous of the stilt rooted palms, with the roots coming from up to 2 m (6 feet) from the ground. Even young plants have no trunk going into the soil, only roots. The palms themselves can grow to 20 m. It has a small head of plumose, deep green leaves, up to 2 m long, with a greenish blue crownshaft.

Canopy palm. Stem solitary, 10-20 m tall and 10-20 cm in diameter, supported at base by a few, thick, brown stilt roots with numerous short, white root spines. Leaves 1.5-3.5 m long; pinnae 15-25 on each side, longitudinally split into 2-18 unequal segments, these 40-90 cm long. Inflorescence axis 30-60 cm long; branches 5-20, to 40 cm long. Male flowers about 1 cm long, with 17-65 stamens. Female flowers about 5 mm long. Fruit elongate, 1.5-2.5 cm long, smooth. Editing by edric. (Borchsenius, F. 1998)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Culture

Socratea exorrhiza need full sun to partial shade with moist soil. We grow ours under 25% shade all year long. In the greenhouse, we use a soil mix consisting of 2 parts peat moss to 1 part loam to 2 parts sand. The soil mix is kept constantly moist all year long. We fertilize the palm monthly during the spring and summer months with a balanced fertilizer. During the winter months, we do not fertilize them. In containers, the palms are fairly slow growers and they need to be repotted every couple of years. The stilt roots will sometime grow outside of the container, giving it a unique look in the greenhouse. Seeds germinate in 45-60 days at 75°F (24°C). USDA zones 10b-11.

S. exorrhiza flowers mostly during the dry season, and is considered to be beetle pollinated, being frequently visited by species of Phyllotrox (Derelomini) and Mystrops (Nitidulidae). Seeds weigh around 3.5 g and are around 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, only around 45% of them germinate and around one quarter of these die.

Division
Tracheophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Order
Arecales
Family
Arecaceae
Clan
Socrates
Species
Socratea exorrhiza