Syagrus harleyi

Syagrus (sih-AHG-ruhs) harleyi (HAHR-leigh)
Photo by Dr. Simon Mayo, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Syagrus (sih-AHG-ruhs) Species: harleyi (HAHR-leigh)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Clustering Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Coco da raposa

Habitat and Distribution

Brazil Northeast.

Mucugê -Bahia - Photo: Mauricio Caixeta.

Chapada Diamantina. In rock crevices on montane savannah, at elevations from 400 - 1,400 metres altitude.

Description

Palm, up to 2 metres tall. Occasionally having just a single, un-branched stem, the plant more commonly produces a small clump of subterranean stems, each of which is topped by a rosette of 3 - 8 leaves up to 1.8 metres long.

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: The leaves are used locally as a kindling for lighting fires. The plant is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental.