S. P. I. No. 44994. Chamaedorea sp. A dwarf palm 
collected in dense forests near Purula, department of 
Baja Verapaz, at an elevation of approximately 5,500 
feet. 
This species is usually called by Spanish-speaking 
Guatemalans paeayito, which means 'small pacaya. ' By 
the Indians of the Alta Verapaz, who speak the Kekchi 
language, it is called ko-kiip. 
Judging from accounts given me by various resi- 
dents of the Verapaz, this palm commonly occurs in the 
mountains of that region at elevations of about 4,000 
to 6,000 feet. It always grows in dense forests, and 
must be considered a shade- and moisture-loving species. 
The soil in which it grows is nothing but decayed leaves 
for the first several inches, and is kept continually 
moist by the abundant rains of this region. In Coban 
the paeayito is a favorite house plant, being grown in 
pots and tubs and used to decorate living rooms and 
patios . In the city of Guatemala it is occasionally 
used for the same purpose, the plants being brought 
down from Coban. 
In the forest, the paeayito seems never to reach 
a greater height than three feet. It is a true dwarf 
(one might also call it a miniature palm), for it reach- 
es maturity and comes into flower when not over a foot 
high. This dwarf habit makes it of unusual interest 
as a pot plant for the north, as it can be fruited in 
an ordinary living room when growing in a four-inch pot. 
It makes its character leaves almost as soon as 
the young plant is out of the seed. I have seen many 
plants in the forest which were not over 4 inches high, 
and already had two to four fully characterized leaves. 
When quite small it strongly resembles Cocoa weddelliana, 
but the pinnae are somewhat broader and not so numerous. 
When mature, the plant has a slender trunk, per- 
haps half an inch thick and two feet high. The leaves 
are a foot to eighteen inches in length, rather finely 
pinnate, deep green, graceful, with the rachis stiff but 
arching slightly. In the Verapaz the flowers are pro- 
duced in June and July, and the small, round, black 
fruits about as large as small peas, ripen in December. 
Since it is found at considerable elevations in 
the Verapaz, it seems likely that this palm will be suf- 
ficiently hardy for cultivation in the open in Cali- 
fornia and Florida. It should be provided with ample 
