| Chamaedorea tenerrima Flare Palm This dainty palmlet from rainforests in Guatemala between 900 and 1600 m (2950 and 5200 ft.) surely boasts one of the most striking and unusual leaf shapes in the family of palms. In this curious arrangement, the largest pair of leaflets sits at the tip of the leaf, looking like a big, green butterfly. Up to another eight pairs are evenly spaced below that, angled towards the base of the leaf. All are somewhat undulate, forming a sparse crown atop a pencil-thin stem. Even though not difficult to grow, and despite being highly coveted by collectors, C. tenerrima is exceedingly rare in cultivation because seeds have generally been unavailable. |