Sometimes, when we watch TV or movies, we wonder what if that could happen in real life, right? How awesome would it be if the living trees in Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter became real? But there is already a rumor that palm trees in Latin America can walk. Is this true? Do these palm trees have lives inside them to walk? Are they possessed? Let us find out the truth about walking palm trees in this article.
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Exploring the unique adaptations of the walking palm tree
The walking palm tree’s real name is Cashapona. Its scientific name is Socratea exorrhiza. If you want to find one, you will have to travel into the rainforests of Central and South America. This tree is native to that area. It can grow up to 15 – 20 meters tall with a 16-centimeter stem diameter. The most unique thing about these trees is their roots.
You probably have never seen roots like this before. Usually, you see tree trunks above the ground and roots underground, right? But in the Cashapona tree, roots are also on the ground and on the trunk. These stilt roots are long and slender and extend outwards from their base roots. They provide stability and anchor to the tree in the ground. They also help the tree absorb water and nutrients. The Stilt Roots’ function in the Growth Strategy of Socratea exorrhiza paper overviews the Walking Palm Tree and its unique characteristics.
The phenomenon of ‘Walking’
Rainforest guides have been telling tourists that this tree can actually walk for years. Numerous books and articles also have featured this fascinating fact as a prime example of plant adaptation. For example, Sherry Seethaler wrote something like this in her book Curious Folks Ask 2, “If you are a screenwriter looking for the perfect plant character for your B-movie, check out the walking palm. This tree, found in the rainforests of Central and South America, slowly ‘walks’ from shady spots to sunny ones by growing new roots towards the light and letting the old roots that are in the way die off.”
So, what is this walking palm tree’s secret to moving? It is all in the roots. The tree grows new roots towards the best spot for survival and lets the old roots on the other side die off. Due to this slow shift, the tree moves towards better conditions, like more sunlight, less competition, or firmer ground. Why does it do this? This special ability helps these walking palms survive in the rainforest’s tough environment.
How fast does it move? It might not seem like much, but these trees can move about 2 to 3 centimeters each day. Over a year, that adds up to about 20 meters, or almost 65 feet! What makes the Walking Palm special? It is the only tree in the world that can move like this.
The scientific evidence
A botanist named E.J.H. Corner proposed the above idea first in 1961. He suggested that the stilt roots were an adaptation to help the tree grow in swampy areas with frequently changing water levels. He also observed some trees with tilted stems or curved roots. He thought of them as tree’s signs of movement. The Stilt Roots’ function in the Growth Strategy of Socratea exorrhiza paper also explains how ‘Walking Palm Trees’ moves and the science behind the movement.
Gerardo Avalos’s analysis
However, other scientists who have taken a closer look at the tree have discovered that the roots do more than just help the tree move. Gerardo Avalos, a world-renowned expert on the Socratea exorrhiza and the director of the Center for Sustainable Development Studies in Atenas, Costa Rica, debunked the myth of the walking palm in his 2005 analysis. His Stilt Root Structure in the Neotropical Palms Iriartea deltoidea and Socratea exorrhiza paper debunks the myth of the walking palm.
He said that his paper proves that the belief of the walking palm was just a myth. The idea of a palm tree gradually moving over the forest floor to track changes in canopy light is just a myth, a story that rainforest tour guides enjoy telling their visitors, he added.
Avalos explains that the stilt roots are actually an adaptation to swampy forest areas. They help the tree anchor itself in unstable soil and avoid getting waterlogged. They also let the tree grow taller and faster than other palms by reducing the amount of biomass in underground roots and increasing the stability of the trunk. And they provide a home for many epiphytes, like orchids, ferns, mosses, and bromeliads.
Peter Vrsansky’s claim
But a paleobiologist from the Earth Science Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava called Peter Vrsansky says something else. He says he has seen walking palm trees move in Ecuador’s forests. He explains that when the soil erodes, these trees grow new long roots to find firm soil. They can move about 20 meters, but it takes a few years.
Scientists are still figuring out why these trees have such unique roots. So far, no one has confirmed any theories, and the walking palm is still a natural wonder. The Stilt Roots’ function in the Growth Strategy of Socratea exorrhiza paper also addresses misconceptions and myths and presents scientific facts.
Conclusion
So, do the walking palm trees really walk? Or not? Scientists like Gerardo Avalos prove they do not walk like the myth says. However, other scientists like Peter Vrsansky claim that they can really walk. These trees have been a controversial topic like that for decades. Does it matter to Palm Tree’s fame? No, curious tourists and locals visit the Latin American forests every year to observe these palm trees’ unique features.