Herbarium of the Bizarre

Walking Palm


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Is it really possible that these trees walk around the rainforest like the Ents in Lord of the Rings?


I forgot to mention that there won’t be an episode next week. Here’s your one-week notice that I’ll be on vacation next Friday. ✈️


Music by James Milor from Pixabay


Information provided by:

  • Stilt-Root Walking by an Iriateoid Palm in the Peruvian Amazon by John H. Bodley and Foley C. Benson (1980). Biotropica, 12(1), pg. 67-71. https://doi.org/10.2307/2387775
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/a-persistent-rumor-suggests-this-tree-can-walk-around-but-is-it-true
  • The function of stilt roots in the growth strategy of Socratea exorrhiza (Arecaceae) at two neotropical sites by Gregory R. Goldsmith and Rakan A. Zahawi (2007). International Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, 55(3). https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v55i3-4.5955 [Abstract]
  • https://www.treeres.com/the-walking-tree-phenomenon-unraveling-the-secrets-of-socratea-exorrhiza/
  • https://www.natureandculture.org/directory/walking-palm-trees/
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratea_exorrhiza
  • The epiphyte vegetation of the palm Socratea exorrhiza: Correlations with tree size, tree age and bryophyte cover by Gerhard Zotz and Birgit Vollrath (2003). Journal of Tropical Ecology, 19, pg. 81-90. DOI: 10.1017/S0266467403003092
  • Tropical Plants of Costa Rica by Willow Zuchowski (2007)
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Herbarium of the BizarreBy Meredith Hemphill