This spectacular species has been described as the “holy grail of the palm trees” and is certainly one of the most extraordinary palm trees in the world.
It has a variety of stiff, upright, narrow leaves that are undivided except for a split tip. They are dark green, some plants appear almost black, while the new shoot has a purple to brownish color.
Geonoma atrovirens is native to the lowland and mountain rainforest of the western Amazon, neighboring Peru and Colombia.
In culture, it is found only in a few collections, but is very sought after and thrives in both tropical and some warm temperate regions.
