May 2009


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Largest inflorescence in the world

Its majestic inflorescence is a poignant invocation of the meaning of life. The extraordinary Talipot Palm (Corypha umbraculifera L.) which bears the largest inflorescence in the plant kingdom, 6-8m long is monocarpic: it flowers only once in its lifetime when it is between 30 and 80 years old. The fruits take a year to mature, after which the plant dies.

We were fortunate to find two flowering Talipot Palms. The one at the top of the page, photographed by Aneel Karim, stands at the Evans Street boundary of the St Augustine campus of The University of the West Indies and the other, which seemed to be in fuller bloom (see cover shot) in San Juan was taken by Amy Li Baksh. They will soon be no more as the flowering indicates they are nearing their life’s end.

It is native to southern India and Sri Lanka. One of the largest palms in the world, it has reached heights up to 25m with stems up to 1.3m in diameter, leaves up to 5m in diameter and up to 130 leaflets.

It bears the largest inflorescence of any plant (that’s the complete flower head, including stems, stalks and bracts). It produces thousands of small, round, yellowgreen fruit before dying.