Chambeyronia pyriformis

Chambeyronia pyriformis is a slender, single-stemmed feather palm confined to the lowland rainforests of the far south-east of Grande Terre, New Caledonia. Its tall crownshaft varies from copper to purplish red or burgundy beneath a fine bloom of white wax.

Stiff, evenly spaced leaflets give each leaf a remarkably tidy outline, and the name refers to its pear-shaped seeds. It survives in only a handful of small stands in the wild and remains very rare in collections.

Formerly known as Kentiopsis pyriformis.

At a glance

• Native range: south-eastern New Caledonia
• Mature size: 10–18 m
• Growth rate: slow when young, faster once a trunk forms
• Cold hardiness: light frost only; about 0 °C
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors in frost-free warm-temperate to tropical gardens

Care

Seed germinates without difficulty, but young plants are slow, sometimes producing only one leaf a year. It grows faster in humid subtropical climates. Keep it frost-free.

Why Palmpedia: Raised in our Almeirim greenhouse in Portugal and supplied in 15 L to 35 L pots.