Chambeyronia macrocarpa Seeds | Flame Thrower Palm
LATIN NAME: Chambeyronia macrocarpa
COMMON NAME: Flame Thrower Palm
Plant Profile
The flame thrower palm is a single-stemmed palm of eight to twelve metres with a smooth green crownshaft, a crown of arching pinnate leaves and, once a year, a new leaf that opens deep red before it turns green. It is the colour of that new leaf that gives the plant its name.
It is endemic to New Caledonia, where it grows in rainforest on soils derived from ultramafic rock, ground that is poor in phosphorus and rich in nickel and magnesium. It is slow, uncommon in the wild and expensive in the trade, and a large specimen is usually a plant that has been grown for fifteen years.
Science & Biotechnology
The red colour of the new leaf comes from anthocyanins, the same pigments that colour a maple in autumn, produced in the young tissue before the chlorophyll develops. The colour fades within a week or two as the leaf expands and greens up. The leading explanation is that the pigments screen the young leaf from strong light while its photosynthetic apparatus is still being assembled.
The palm’s native soil is a problem for growers. Ultramafic ground holds little available phosphorus and a great deal of magnesium, and plants from such soils often die in ordinary compost, which is too rich and too wet. Cultivation advice for the species usually includes a gritty, low-phosphorus mix and careful watering rather than feeding.
Uses & Benefits
The palm is grown as a specimen in tropical and subtropical gardens, in shade gardens and in conservatories, where the red new leaf is the event of the year. It is also grown in large containers, though a potted plant rarely reaches the height at which the trunk is visible.
There is no crop use. The fruit is a small red drupe taken by birds, and the trunk is not used for timber. In New Caledonia the species is one of many endemics threatened by fire and by mining, and its seed is collected by botanic gardens for ex situ conservation rather than for trade. Seed is set only on plants that are more than a decade old, and a good year produces a few hundred fruit from a whole stand, which is why the price of a packet is what it is.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed, since it is short-lived, in a gritty mix at twenty-five to twenty-eight degrees. Germination is slow and erratic, from three to nine months, and the first leaf is a simple strap. Keep the pot in shade and do not let the mix dry out completely.
Grow the seedling in a shaded, humid position, and pot on into a mix with plenty of grit and bark rather than rich compost. Plant out only in a frost-free climate with high humidity, and protect the young trunk from sun until the crownshaft has formed. Water regularly but never leave the pot standing in water.
Our Take
A slow, beautiful, awkward palm for a humid shade garden, and one whose red leaf is worth the wait. Not a plant for a dry house.
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