Tepejilote Palm, Pacaya Palm

Frost Tolerance: 30°F (-1°C)

Sun Exposure: Shade to part shade, burn easily in direct sun light

Origin: Southern Mexico to Colombia

Growth Habits: Solitary, or occasionally clumping, thin palmtree, 8 to 20 feet tall (2.4-6 m); stem 0.8 to 4 inches in diameter (2-10 cm), and swollen nodes; 3 to 7 pinnate leaves, up to 5 feet long (1.5 m), 40 inches wide (1 m), with 12 to 50 velvety leaflets

Watering Needs: Regular water, keep the soil moist, needs good drainage

Propagation: Seeds, offsets

One of the taller Chamaedoreas, cultivated as a crop for its male inflorescences (pacaya). Pacaya is a popular and important vegetable, eaten raw or cooked, and sold in the markets. It is harvested before the inflorescence opens, at which stage it looks like an ear of corn. It is mostly harvested from plants of C. tepejilote, which has been cultivated for centuries, especially in Guatemala.

Fruiting Habits:
Globose, bluish black fruit, black when ripe, up to 0.32 to 0.5 inch in diameter (0.8-1.2 cm), with persistent petals

Propagation:
Some cultivars are clustering. It is difficult to know when you get them from a nursery, since nurseries put generally several plants in the same pot.