In Rio de Janeiro, a rare talipot palm has bloomed — one of the largest in the world, which flowers only once in its lifetime. Brought from South Asia in the 1960s, it grows in Aterro do Flamengo Park and the city's botanical garden, reaching 20–34 m, and naturally dies after flowering. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters and Associated Press.
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In Rio de Janeiro, one of the world's largest palms, the talipot palm, is currently blooming, flowering only once in its entire life. These trees were brought to Brazil back in the 1960s.
The talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera) is endemic to South Asia, particularly southern India and Sri Lanka, where it naturally grows only in a limited area.
The palms were brought to Brazil by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, who created Aterro do Flamengo Park, where the blooming talipot palms can still be seen today. Several such trees also grow in the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden.
The talipot palm, which grows in South India and Sri Lanka, can reach a height of 30 meters (98 feet) and produces about 25 million flowers during its bloom
They need 30–80 years to fully develop, and they flower only once in their lifetime. Approximately one year after flowering, the palm naturally dies.
Thais Hidalgo, head of the botanical garden's living collection curatorship department, told Reuters that there are more palms in Aterro do Flamengo Park, but not all of them are blooming. Environmental conditions can affect the plant's maturation.
However, when the palm finishes blooming, it's not the end, Hidalgo adds. In the botanical garden, talipot trees are pruned at the base, which triggers the growth of new shoots.