Biological Aspects of the Panama Hat Palm

By Leah Wainscott

Despite the name, the Panama hat palm did not originate in Panama, but rather Ecuador.  Ecuadorians began manufacturing renowned sun hats out of Panama hat palm leaves about 300 years ago, exporting them out of the Panama isthmus. This perennial herb can currently be found throughout Latin America ranging from Mexico to the southern part of Bolivia. Outside of their natural habitats, humans have redistributed these plants for decorative purposes. But nowhere has conditions better than Ecuador’s coastal lowlands (Miller 18).

    I chose this plant initially because I saw it at Franklin Park Conservatory. I was casually walking through the exhibits and stopped at a plant with great fan-like leaves. The plant was not tall, standing only about six feet with seemingly nothing more than a stump for a trunk. I could not see a designated name label till I lifted up one of the leaves close to the soil. That is where I read Panama hat palm, Carludovica palmata.

    I had previously known about the Panama Hat Palm through reading the novel, The Panama Hat Trail by Tom Miller. This book is a required reading for the study abroad program to Cuenca, Ecuador. For ten weeks this spring, I will be traveling throughout this biologically diverse Latin American country.

In the lowlands of Ecuador, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests are great for the plant’s regeneration. This is due to the fertile ground, which is moist but not entirely saturated. Here, taller plants provide shade for the Panama hat palm (Miller 18). Carludovica palmata is a leafy palm-like plant that reaches an optimal height of eight feet. Within seven years after planting a seed, the first leaves can be harvested (EcoCrop). It takes six leaves, each between 50-80cm long, to weave one Panama hat (Miller 16).

The flowers on the plant are unisexual, which means that they are both male and female. There are groups of flowers, inflorescences, tightly arranged on a common axis. Weevil beetles pollinate these flowers of the Panama hat palm. The relationship between the plant and the pollinator is symbiotic, providing mutual benefits to both partners. In this relationship, the weevil feeds on the inflorescence as well as uses it as a site for shelter and mating (Fashion Trends).

The Panama hat palm is a member of the Cyclanthaceae family, a close relative of the Palmae family. However, C. palmata is not considered to be a palm at all. In fact, members of the Cyclanthaceae family are represented by an array of herbs, shrubs, and epiphytic lianas, otherwise known as climbing woody vines (Fashion Trends).

As an important tool for Ecuador’s economy, the leaves from the Panama hat palm continue to be stripped, bleached, dried, and woven into hats. After a long process, finished products are then distributed throughout the world. Unfortunately though, due its misnomer, few people know the plant originated in Ecuador and serves as a large source of economic value. When I travel to Cuenca, Ecuador (where hats are still being woven by indigenous women,) I anticipate studying this famous plant more intimately in its natural habitat.

Sources Cited

"Carludovica palmata." EcoCrop. 2007. Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. 17 Feb 2008 <http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/cropView?id=4233>.

"Carludovica palmata." Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk. 12 Oct 2006. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. 12 Feb 2008 <http://www.hear.org/Pier/species/carludovica_palmata.htm>.

"Fashion Trends from Ecuador: The Panama Hat Story." Botany Global Issues Map. Apr 2000. The McGraw-Hill Companies. 12 Feb 2008 <http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/botany/botany_map/articles/article_18.html>.

Miller, Tom. Panama Hat Trail. New York City: Random House Inc., 1986.