The truth about palm trees goes in Ecuador

The phenomenon of palm trees that can travel 20m each year along the forest floor in Ecuador may be an anecdote set up by guides to attract visitors.

According to the BBC, the rare trees called Socratea exorrhiza can grow new roots and slowly move through the forest to better soil. This mobile plant can move about 20m per year.

The Socratea exorrhiza palm has a large root that juts out of the ground.(Photo: BBC).

However, according to a 2005 study by biologist Gerardo Avalos, trees sometimes produce new roots, but they cling to the ground. The new roots don't mean that the tree uses it to move around.

"My research demonstrates that the phenomenon of palm trees is an anecdote . The palm can follow the change of the dome light by moving slowly through the forest floor to be an interesting anecdote that the guides Tourism often tells visitors to visit the rain forest , " Live Science quoted Avalos.

The confusion about the mobility of palm trees comes from the plant's unique root system. Unlike trees with roots that lie entirely underground, walking palms have a system of raised roots near the end of the body. This feature makes the tree look more like a broom upright than an ordinary tree. Over time, when soil erodes, some roots die and new roots grow. All evidence indicates that the new roots do not really move the tree position and the phenomenon of walking palm trees has never been returned.

The confusion about the mobility of palm trees comes from the plant's unique root system.

In nature, many plants can actually move. For example, small insect-eating flies that fold up the body or virgin tree (Mimosa pubica) can curl up when touched.