Carludovica drudei

Carludovica drudei

Paca (Carludovica drudei Mast., 1877) is a herbaceous species belonging to the Cyclanthaceae family.

Systematics –
Domain Eukaryota,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Liliopsida,
Subclass Arecidae,
Order Cyclanthales,
Family Cyclanthaceae,
Genus Carludovica,
Species C drudei.
The terms are synonymous:
– Carludovica speciosa Linden (1877);
– Carludovica tabascana Matuda (1952).

Etymology –
The genus name was dedicated to Charles IV of Spain (1748-1819) and his wife Maria Luisa (Ludovica) of Parma (1751-1819).
The specific epithet was dedicated to the German botanist Carl Georg Oscar Drude (1852-1933).

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Carludovica drudei is a plant found naturally in Central and South America, particularly in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Tabasco), Panama, and Venezuela.
In these areas, its habitat is the understory of humid forests, primarily along watercourses, from sea level to about 1,700 m above sea level.

Description –
Carludovica drudei is a monoecious, stemless, rhizomatous, tufted, evergreen herbaceous plant.
Its leaves are arranged on a nearly cylindrical petiole up to 2.5 m long, sheathed at the base. These leaves are simple, palmate, up to about 1.6 m wide, deep green in color, glossy above and dull below. They are divided almost to the base into four cuneiform lobes of varying width, 60-75 cm long and 35-60 cm wide. These lobes, in turn, are divided into linear-lanceolate segments with a pointed tip for less than half their length.
The inflorescences form in the leaf axils, on a 40-70 cm long peduncle. They consist of a cylindrical, fleshy spadix, approximately 11 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter when in flower, and 20-25 cm long and 4 cm in diameter when in fruit. The spadix is entirely covered by unisexual flowers, grouped in spirally arranged clusters of five, each consisting of four male flowers surrounding a female flower.
The male flowers lack sepals and petals, with numerous, dense stamens that completely cover the female flowers, with the exception of four thread-like staminodes, up to 7 cm long and white or yellowish white in color.
The female flowers are sunken into the spadix, are roughly quadrangular in shape, with four triangular tepals with obtuse tips, approximately 0.5 cm long, longer than the four laterally compressed sessile stigmas.
The inflorescences are protogynous, promoting cross-fertilization. The female flowers mature when the spathes open and attract pollinating insects (beetles) with the odor emitted by their long staminodes.
The following day, when they are no longer receptive and the staminodes have withered, the male phase occurs with the opening of the anthers, which cover pollinating insects with pollen, which will deposit it on another inflorescence during the female phase.
The fruits are oblong berries fused together to form a cylindrical, fleshy syncarp, covered by a thin, greenish, woody layer consisting of the remains of the tepals. This woody layer splits at maturity from the apex, exposing the orange-red rachis and the oblong, orange-red berries, about 1 cm long and 0.7 cm in diameter, containing numerous flattened, ovoid seeds about 2 mm long.
It flowers in June. The fruits ripen from July to October.

Cultivation –
Carludovica drudei is a species that grows naturally in Central America, Peru, and Colombia. It is occasionally found in forests.
It usually grows along streams, probably preferring steep banks. It is distinguished by its serrated leaf lobes less than halfway up the base. Lowland forests in Mexico (Chiapas and the Yucatán Peninsula), Costa Rica, Panama, and possibly Colombia. In Panama, it is known for its tropical rainforest, on both slopes of the Canal Zone and in Chiriquí and Darien.
It is a little-known species, but it has remarkable ornamental characteristics. It can be grown in constantly humid tropical and subtropical climates, in a shaded location, on well-drained, organically rich soil; it cannot tolerate dry periods, even brief ones.
The plant reproduces by division and by seed placed in well-drained organic soil kept constantly moist at a temperature of 26-28°C.

Uses and Traditions –
Carludovica drudei is a plant known by various common names, especially in Costa Rica; among them are: paca, chidra, estococa.
This plant should not be confused with true palms; in fact, this species belongs to the Cyclanthaceae family. The genus is probably best known for Carludovica palmata (toquilla), whose young leaves are used to make Panama hats. An unidentified species belonging to this family (possibly a Carludovica species) has been marketed as a houseplant in the United States under the name “Jungle Drum.”
Since ancient times, indigenous populations have used the plant as a food and to make handicrafts. The young leaves, immature inflorescences, and fruits are eaten cooked and added to other ingredients. Fibers are extracted from the stalk and young leaves, which are used to make various everyday objects, including hats, but less famous than the “Panama” hats, made from the fibers of Carludovica palmata Ruiz & Pav. (1798).

Preparation Method –
Carludovica drudei is a plant used since ancient times by local populations as a food and to make handicrafts.
The young leaves, immature inflorescences, and fruits are used, which are eaten cooked and added to other ingredients.
Fibers are also extracted from the stalk and young leaves, which are used to make various everyday objects.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (eds.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and Experiences with Medicinal Herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Carludovica_drudei
– https://images.mobot.org/tropicosimages4/detailimages/TropicosImagesVol4/100964000/4122FC10-D73F-4C7E-89A1-1AAA5B8EEC17.jpg

Warning: The pharmaceutical applications and dietary uses are provided for informational purposes only and do not in any way constitute medical prescriptions. We therefore decline any responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic, or nutritional purposes.