Chambeyronia macrocarpa

Welcome to the PACSOA Palms and Cycads wiki! If you have any information about this species, please help by updating this article. Once you are registered you can contribute, change, or correct the text, and even add photos on this page. Click on the edit tab above and play around. Any mistake can be easily corrected, so don't be afraid.

Figure 1. C. macrocarpa in Sydney

Common Names:

Blushing Palm,
Red Leaf Palm,
Red Feather Palm,
Flame Thrower Palm

Distribution & Habitat:

New Caledonian rainforest.

Description:

Large feather palm to about 20m, with a spectacular, bright red new leaf, which stays red for up to 10 days. The leaflets are also very wide, thick, and shiny so even without a new leaf it is very distinctive There are several well known varieties/cultivars of this palm.

1) var hookeri: This variety has a distinctly reddish tinge to the leaves as well as a very yellow crown shaft. Prefers more shade than the normal C. macrocarpa i.e. it won't take full sun.

2) Watermelon form: This form has an attractive yellow streaking on the crown shaft (see below).

General:

The most popular of the New Caledonian palms in cultivation.

Culture:

Full sun/light shade, moist, well drained (tho isn't averse to wet feet). Easily the fastest of the New Caledonian palms.

File:C hookerii.jpg

Figure 2. Close-up of the new leaf

Figure 3. Close-up of the new leaf

Figure 5. C. macrocarpa inflorescence close-up.

Figure 4. 'Watermelon' form of C. macrocarpa

Figure 6. C. macrocarpa inflorescence.

Contributed by:

Ian Edwards (Figures 1&2)
Mike Gray (Figure 4)
Jason Skelly (Figure 5&6).

External Links:

Kew, PalmWeb, JSTOR, Trebrown

Google, GoogleImages, Flickr, PalmTalk