Chambeyronia macrocarpa – Plant

Description

Monocaule (French for single trunk, or solitary) palm, up to twenty meters in height, with a trunk 15 to over 25 cm. in diameter, whitish, at the base sometimes adventitious roots or a plateau, rather like the Cyphokentia (Troulala). Leaves the number rising from June to October or spreading; new leaves, bright red. Leaf sheath enveloping, forming crownshaft, sheath over a meter long, green or yellowish green or mottled with yellowish spots. Phenology (flower), 3-5 inflorescence, inflorescence infrafoliar, spread before and during flowering, and falling when the fruit is formed, fruit ellipsoid 3 x 5 cm., red when ripe. Any description of this palm would have to begin with its propensity to exhibit a brightly colored red new leaf. When any new palm enthusiast first sees this newly opening red leaf, it instantly becomes one of the select “must have” palms. While a good majority of these palms throw the red leaf, some do not, including most very young plants. Similar to many other New Caledonia palms, this only carries 6-10 fronds at a time. Yet with the very wide leaflets and the graceful curve of the rachis, the overall outline is most pleasing and an excellent candidate for a solitary or group statement. It is morphologically diverse with at least 4 variations considered and treated as different species by hobbyists. (from the french) Editing by edric.

• The “green form,” with a dark solid green crownshaft, are the most common of the forms.

• The “yellow form,” or C.hookeri, with a yellow crownshaft and the color extending up into the petioles. Observations have been consistent that this form has the most vivid and highest percentage of red leafs. This form is sometimes referred to as the “blond flamethrower”.

• The “watermelon form,” with the yellow and green streaked appearence of some watermelons in its crownshaft. It has been discussed that this may be the result of cross pollination between the green and yellow forms.

• C. houailou, which is distinguished by the entire unsegmented leaves it carries as a juvenile, and the exaggerated recurve to the fronds as an adult. It appears to almost never have the new red leaf characteristic of the other forms.

There is supposedly another exceptionally robust variety with a crownshaft covered in white tomentum.