Imbur

Description

Allagoptera leucocalyx is a small, solitary, but subterranean, giving it the appearance of clustering, scruby palm that grows in sandy soils in exposed locations, sometimes near to sandy river banks. Deep grey/green leaves to about 1.5 m long, with a clustered subterranean, trunk but cultivated palms in humid and semi-shade conditions can to build a trunk of one metre or more tall. Fruits of 2 cm diameter, of triangle form, yellow when ripe. Seeds of the same size. A beautiful dwarf palm, widely distributed in Bolivia, Paraguay, northernmost Argentina and southern central Brazil where it grows in savanna on sandy soils to an altitude of 1000 m (3300 ft.), often forming dense stands. It forms a branching underground trunk that gives rise to a cluster of crowns with plumose fronds that are dark green above and silvery below. Due to its inland habitat it will resist more cold and drought than its popular cousin; A. arenaria. It will do well in a warm temperate or tropical climate and can take moderate freezes.