Attalea butyracea.

I realise that for many people, dense forest can be a little claustrophobic. However, I must admit I rather enjoy the sensation of looking up and seeing leaves high above me; it means there isn't a single angle in which the eye can't see teeming life. In the tropical Palm House at Kew, this atmosphere is created by the towering Attalea butyracea.
(All credit to the superbly named 'Danger Garden' blog for this image.)

Attalea butyracea, "Yagua palm".
(Palm tree.)


Planting: No English season! Very moist soil (floodplain) required, as well as heat.
Flowering: Monoecious.
Aspect: Full sun.
Hardiness: Encountered in the hot and humid Palm House at Kew, presumably not hardy!

Notes: Most of the online material concerning the "Yagua Palm" is in Spanish, so much of this information                        may be incorrectly translated on my part. However, it seems that this is a plant vital to many South                      American communities, providing thatch for housing, animal feed, and even a wine-like drink                                  from the flesh of its fruit.