Carludovica drudei
Masters
Panama-hat plant
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(c) Gabriel Camilo Jaramillo Giraldo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Gabriel Camilo Jaramillo Giraldo
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(c) Seig, some rights reserved (CC BY)
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(c) Diego Lobo Montoya, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A herb or palm like shrub. It grows 3 m tall. The stem is short and underground. The leaves are fan shaped and 2 m across. They are divided into 3-4 wedge shaped sections. They are deeply divided. The leaf stalk is 2.5 m long. The flowers are on a fleshy spike. Male and female flowers are alternate in spirals. The male are in clusters of 4 and the female flowers are sunk into the flower stalk. The fruit is oval to round. They are 1 cm long and bright orange. There are many oval seeds 2 mm long.
Edible Uses
The flowers are eaten.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows in tropical lowland forest beside streams and on steep slopes.
Where It Grows
Asia, Central America*, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Mexico, Panama, SE Asia,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds.
Also Known As
Paleman topi panama
References (2)
- Garcia-Serrano, C. R., & Del Monte, J. P., 2004, The Use of Tropical Forest (Agroecosystems and wild Plant harvesting) as a Source of Food in the Bribri and Cabecar Cultures in the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. Economic Botany 58(1) pp 58-71
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 605
