As we all know, trees are always stationary: they stay more or less where you plant them, and no one worries about finding a tree wandering around a park or back yard.
However, there is one special exception, some say: the so called walking palm tree (棕榈树) was found in the rainforests of Central and South America. Many people believe it can really walk around. This is because of its unusual root system: while most trees have one trunk, the palm breaks into many smaller roots a few feet off the ground, giving it the appearance of many little legs.
The amazing walking ability of the palm tree has always been told by rainforest guides to tourists for years, and appears in many sources of documents as an amazing plant adaptation. As journalist Sherry Seethaler writes in her book Curious Folks Ask 2: "Screen writers searching for the perfect B-movie (小成本电影) plant hero could take inspiration from the walking palm, The tree slowly walks from shade to sunlight by growing new roots toward the light."
A tree that walks in search of the sun is a fascinating, strange story. And it's not true either; the tree is real enough, but it doesn't walk. It sits where it began to grow, not moving except under the force of wind or an axe.
Biologist Gerardo Avalos is one of the world's top experts on the Socratea exorrhiza. His analysis of the plant and its roots shows that the walking tree can't walk because its roots don't move. A few roots on one side or another may die off, but the trunk itself remains, well, rooted to the spot.
"My paper proves that the belief of the walking palm is just a myth," Avalos said. "Thinking that a palm tree could actually track the sunlight changes by moving slowly over the forest floor…is a myth that tourist guides find amusing to tell visitors to the rainforest."
