Plant · GBIF taxon 2732453
walking palm
Socratea exorrhizaAlso known as Cashapona, Stilt Palm, Walking Tree Palm
Walking palms stand high above the forest floor on a distinctive cone of spiky stilt roots, raising the trunk like a tripod. While popular legend claims these roots allow the palm to move toward sunlight, they actually provide stability in waterlogged soils and let the tree grow taller without heavy trunk investment. Its smooth green trunk and feathery fronds form an essential part of Central and South American rainforest canopies, providing habitat for dozens of epiphyte species.
NeotropicalStilt RootsRainforest
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
- Collared Peccaries
- Agoutis
- Frugivorous Bats
ThreatsDeforestation and land conversion
HabitatsLowland rainforests, swamp forests, river banks
Life span60 to 100 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyArecaceae
- SpeciesSocratea exorrhiza
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Wild palm fruits have toxic look-alikes; never consume wild fruits based on app identification.
Responsible observation
- Inspecting roots: Look closely at the spiky stilt root cone to see how it anchors the trunk in loose soil.
- Epiphyte hunting: Scan the mid-trunk for perched ferns, orchids, and mosses using the palm for support.
Forest Companion (c) Jared Shorma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Dick Culbert, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Family Member (c) Jens-Christian Svenning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jens-Christian Svenning · cc-by
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