Iriartea deltoidea (Stilt Palm)

Botanical name: Iriartea deltoidea

Common names: Stilt Palm, Copa Palm, Barrigona Palm

Family: Arecaceae / Palmae

Origin: South America

Bizarre looking, very attractive, tall, stilt rooted palm. Just look at the root stilts swollen at the ends, they are a conversation piece! Very rare collectible from Ecuador. It is said by local guides that these palms actually slowly "walk", moving their location as they grow new root stilts For many enthusiasts, Iriartea is the grandest of the many stunning palms of South America. This tall and elegant plant has a slightly swollen, gray or white trunk; plumose leaves with leaflets very neatly arranged in four planes; and giant, horn-shaped inflorescence-bracts, which easily identify it. Common in its native home, it is almost unknown in cultivation.