The Quepos Bridge Club plays at 12 noon every Tuesday at Dos Locos Restaurant.
Palm Passion
by Donna Porter
There is no other tropical plant that one associates more with the Tropics than the Palm. The sight of even the tiniest of palm tree figures, places you on a wide open beach, with warm tropical breezes, waves crashing in, sipping pina coladas decorated with colorful mini umbrellas and a sprig of pineapple leaf. For those with little to no imagination, I suppose this popular symbol does nothing of the sort.
Even though we typically refer to these plants as “palm trees”, palms are not related to what we normally think of as a tree. Palms are “monocots” and are more closely related to grasses (including corn), orchids, bromeliads and bananas than they are to trees such as oaks, fruit trees or pines, which are “dicots”. One distinguishing factor is that dicots produce woody tissue. But, of course, just to be an odd ball in the taxanomic classification system, palms do indeed produce woody tissue. Other than that, all other characteristics place them in the monocot division similar to grasses.
Palms typically produce numerous small, yellow, lavender or white flowers, borne on long flowerstalks, but are not the main attraction of these tropical beauties as are their fine feather-like or grand fan-shaped leaves or trunks. The” fruit”, or in this case the more notable seed produced from the flower, is generally berry or nut like and ranges in size from tiny to gigantic. The Coconut Palm, Coco nucifera, is a prime example of a Palm’s “nut” or seed. A species native to the Seychelles, Lodoicea maldivicia, produces nuts that weigh in at 45 pounds. These two-lobed seeds look like two joined coconuts and grow to a length of 20”. Early European sailors who first sighted these huge, extraordinary seeds floating on the ocean’s surface, thought they were human buttocks, so, were of course relieved to discover what they truly were.
Palms have very shallow root systems, which makes them easy to transplant even at large sizes. For this reason also, they rely more heavily on surface water rather than moisture found within the depths of the soil. Some species such as Socratea exhorrhiza develop above ground, aerial roots called “stilt roots” which aid in anchoring and stabilizing the plant. Interestingly enough, this species has been given the common English name of “The Walking Palm” (Cashapona in Spanish). For as much that I would like to imagine that plants have evolved enough to “walk” themselves around, this name was given because in the case of a fallen tree, the stilt roots can re-develop to lift itself upright, and therefore may relocate the entire tree in a different spot, but still within its original growing radius.
Palms add texture, elevated form, grace and/or boldness to the landscape. Contrary to popular belief, they can also add color to the landscape as do the Lipstick Palms/Talla Roja , Cyrtostachys renda, which seems to have obtained notoriety equal to that of Hollywood stardom in the plant world. Bismarkia nobilis is another true gem that is quickly gaining popularity in CR due to its stunning silver-blue coloration.
Worldwide there are about 2,500 different species of Palm. They are indigenous to every continent except Antartica. The majority of palm species used in our landscapes originate form Asia, Africa, Central and South America and Australia. In Costa Rica there are an estimated 90 native species of natives.
Another Palm that will soon have its name in a star on Hollywood Boulevard is Euterpe oleracea, which produces the highly acclaimed and sought after Acai seed/berry. This palm has been recently glorified and its “fruits”advertised abundantly for its antioxidant properties that are used for anti-aging, weight loss and anti-inflammatory purposes – to name a few. This “celebrity” palm has its origins in South America.
Unfortunately, for those of us who live here and dapple in growing plants and gardens, the limited selection of palm species that are available in the nurseries here in Costa Rica is frustrating. I estimate that there are perhaps only about dozen species (of the 2,500) that are used, re-used and over-used in our landscapes. But, I am here to tell you folks that “the times they are a changin”
This year, a local inhabitant of Manuel Antonio and huge palm enthusiast, Jeff Anderson, took action to form the Costa Rica Palm Society/Asociacion Costarricense de Palmeras. Jeff is a member of the International Palm Society and his knowledge of Palms is quite impressive. Jeff, like some other members of the CRPS, can rattle-off botanical names of palms as if they were their closest friends. The group has incorporated as a non-profit and had its 4th meeting/outing on October 31, at the 50-acre farm of CRPS member, Marco Herrero, who has nearly 150 species of mature palms. The two most impressive to me were Coccothrinax crinita, The Old Man Palm, which I swear, looks like the blonde version of Cousin It from the Adams Family, but with leaves. Its entire trunk, from top to bottom, is cloaked in long, sof t hairs. You just can’t help but want to hug “It”. The other awesome and unforgettable palm was Corypha umbraculifera which had fan-shaped leaves that were easily the size of a VW Beetle. Truly incredible
If you have even the slightest interest in Palms, would like to meet new and interesting people from all over the country and visit new places, then please check out our website (which will be on-line early in 2010 ) at www.costaricapalms.org and consider joining. Regular Membership is $30/year and Corporate is $50/year.
The CRPS mission is: To utilize our “Passion for Palms” to heighten appreciation of palms in CR by serving as a resource for cultural information, by promoting the preservation of native species and by introducing both native and exotic species to the commercial trade and botanical gardens for greater public awareness, availability and usage.
There is no doubt in my mind that our future botanical garden here in Quepos will house one of the most magnificent collections of Palms that will be available for public viewing, education and enjoyment in all of Costa Rica.
Donna is a Horticulturist and has been living and working in Manuel Antonio for 6 years. She consults, designs, installs and maintains gardens for private homes and hotels and also develops botanical trails. Donna is the founder and first Director of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and is pursuing the development of a botanical garden in, and for, the Quepos area. dpdreamer@yahoo.com, 2777-5149
visitors since December 2009
