Nature & Environment

Can the 'walking palm' really use its stilt roots to move around ?

By T.K. Randall
January 1, 2024

Image: Iriartea Deltoidea and Socratea Exorrhiza
Credit: yakovlev.alexey / CC BY-SA 2.0 (adapted) Native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, Socratea exorrhiza (also referred to as the 'walking palm') is an otherwise unremarkable type of tree with one standout feature - it can sometimes be found with unusual stilt-like roots growing from partway up its trunk.

Back in 1980, anthropologists John H. Bodley and Foley C. Benson put forward the idea that these trees can actually use these stilts to right themselves and 'walk' several meters across the forest floor when pinned underneath another fallen tree or large branch.

According to local guides, the trees could move up to 20 meters in a single year.

But is it really plausible for a tree to 'walk' several meters across the forest floor ?More recently, scientists have generally played down this idea, instead noting that - although the trees can put down new roots - they don't tend to actually move very far from the site of germination.

It has been theorized that the stilt roots could play an important role in enabling the trees to survive during extended periods of flooding or when the forest floor is covered in a large amount of debris.

Some scientists also suggest that the roots could help stabilize the trees, enabling them to grow taller without expending energy growing biomass beneath the ground.

Whatever the case, though, it doesn't seem as though they are actually able to 'walk' anywhere.

Source: Science Alert

Tags: Walking Palm