Copernicia rigida, the carnivorous palm

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

So it appears that copernicia rigida traps rats in it's crown, and gets extra foliar meals that way. What an interesting concept, makes me wonder if foliar spray isn't a heck of a lot more effective than people think it is.

See http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Copernicia/rigida.html:

Some botanists are raising the possibility that C. rigida is carnivorous. It leaves form a very effective trap for small animals, which die and rot there, providing nutrients for the plant. This possibly evolved after the last ice-age, when C. rigida's habitat was a desert.

any other carnivorous palms out there? BTW, rats are an especially bad problem with palmettos, as the flat area on the crown is a perfect spot for nesting. The fact that rigida traps them is a pretty clever adaptation.

[palmnut-fry]

Fascinating- never would have thought this- shows palms are truly, killer!

[dan.vagnoni]

That's gnarly!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Maybe dabbling the crowns of Copernicia witj blood meal would make them grow.

[dan.vagnoni]

Maybe dabbling the crowns of Copernicia witj blood meal would make them grow.

Or just go to the pet shop

[edric]

You can be sure 99% of the nutrition is absorbed when the decayed matter is washed down to the roots during a good rain, probably not a good idea to toy around with spraying the center of the crown, in a hot wet climate, with liquified animal matter and excrement, Ed