Allagoptera arenaria

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. A. arenaria leaf and inflorescence.

Common Names:

Seashore Palm,
Dwarf Palm,
Restinga Palm

Synonymy:

Cocos arenaria
Diplothemium arenarium

Distribution & Habitat:

It is endemic to the Atlantic Coast of Brazil, where it grows in coastal sand dunes, just above the high tide mark. It occurs on white sandy soils from sea level to 100m.

Description:

A small palm to about 2m (6 ft) with a branching, subterranean trunk. It has arched pinnate leaves, spineless, that are bright green above and silver below. The inflorescence comes from the middle of the plant, with cream or pale yellow flower clusters. The flowers often attract bees and beetles. It has small, orange fruit, that dries out quickly.

General:

It is cultivated extensively in South America for the edible fruits which are eaten fresh or made into a drink. The leaves are used to make baskets and other woven objects.

Culture:

Requires a very sandy, well drained position in full sun. It likes a lot of moisture but needs very good drainage. It is one of the most salt tolerant palms and does well grown right on the beach. It is extremely slow growing however, especially when young.

Figure 2. A. arenaria in habitat, Brazil

 

Figure 3. A. arenaria leaf detail

 

Contributed by:

Rolf Kyburz (Figure 1&2)
Ian Edwards (Figure 3)

External Links:

Kew, PalmWeb, JSTOR, Trebrown, Floridata, Wikipedia

Google, GoogleImages, Flickr, PalmTalk