Rare flowering of palm tree in Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

Visitors to the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden can witness a rare spectacle of nature, the flowering of the talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera), which occurs only once in the species' lifetime. Flowering—with its yellow inflorescences at the top of the canopy—occurs only at the end of its cycle, usually between 50 and 70 years of age, in the spring. Native to southern India and Sri Lanka, the imposing talipot can reach up to 30 meters in height and produce around 25 million flowers and, consequently, many fruits. After this period, the plant enters a phase of senescence, with the gradual loss of its leaves.

According to researcher Marcus Nadruz, coordinator of the Rio Botanical Garden's Living Collection, the palm tree uses all the energy accumulated over decades to produce flowers and fruits.

“The flowers give rise to the fruits. After fruiting, the senescence process begins. It loses its leaves and dies. The process is slow and lasts about a year, the time necessary for the fruits to ripen and fall. Its strategy is to ensure the continuity of the species, even if the individual disappears,” explains the researcher.

In addition to the Rio Botanical Garden, talipot can also be seen at Aterro do Flamengo and Sítio Burle Marx. At the Aterro, the species was introduced by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx in the 1960s. It is estimated that the two specimens in the Garden are similar in age to those at the Aterro, since they are flowering simultaneously, and the seedlings were donated by Burle Marx.

According to Marcus Nadruz, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden intends to produce seedlings from the fruits, which may be made available for planting in squares and public spaces.