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Summary
Attalea colenda or Palma Real is a large, monoecious, tropical palm of up to 30 m tall found in Colombia, Ecuador, and South America. It has a thick trunk, long and upright leaves, and large, oily, oval fruits. The large seed yields cooking oil. Fibre can be obtained from the leaves.
Physical Characteristics

Attalea colenda is an evergreen Tree growing to 25 m (82ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, insects.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
Ynesa colenda O.F.Cook
Habitats
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Fruit Oil Seed
Edible Uses: Oil
Edible portion: Seeds, oil. An oil extracted from the seed is used for cooking[ 768 ]. Similar to coconut and African oil palm. The infructescences of this species are unusually large and heavy, with some of them weighing more than 100 kilos; an assay of the individual seeds showed 51.74% oil and 4.28% water[ 769 ].
References More on Edible Uses
Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
None known
References More on Medicinal Uses
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Other Uses
Fibre Oil Pioneer
Other uses rating: Medium (3/5). Other Uses A long fibre with commercial value can be obtained from the leaf petiole margins[ 769 ].
Special Uses
Food Forest
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
Each tree produces one to four infructescences per year. Based on the oil content, it is estimated that 100 trees per hectare could produce 10 to 27 tonnes of seeds, or between 5 and 13 tonnes of oil per hectare per year[ 769 ]. Production: Seedling grown is quite fast.
References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information
Temperature Converter
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Propagation
Seed - The seeds are large and slow and erratic to germinate.
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Attalea colenda or Palma Real is a large, monoecious, tropical palm of up to 30 m tall found in Colombia, Ecuador, and South America. It has a thick trunk, long and upright leaves, and large, oily, oval fruits. The large seed yields cooking oil. Fibre can be obtained from the leaves.
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Found In
Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available
Found In: Colombia, Ecuador, South America.
Weed Potential
Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section.
Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.
None Known
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed.
Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.
Expert comment
Author
(O.F.Cook) Balslev & A.J.Hend.
Botanical References
Links / References
For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.
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Subject : Attalea colenda
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