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Jubaea chilensis - (Moll.)Baill.

Common Name Chilean Wine Palm, Chile cocopalm
Family Arecaceae or Palmae
USDA hardiness 7-10
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Usually found between the coast and the hills to 300 metres, between latitudes 31 to 35°south[139].
Range S. America - Chile.
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (2 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Frost Hardy Moist Soil Full sun
Jubaea chilensis Chilean Wine Palm, Chile cocopalm


http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:SteffenMP
Jubaea chilensis Chilean Wine Palm, Chile cocopalm
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stan_Shebs

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of cone
Jubaea chilensis is an evergreen Tree growing to 12 m (39ft) by 5 m (16ft) at a slow rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant).
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. 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

J. spectabilis. Cocos chilensis

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit  Oil  Sap  Seed
Edible Uses: Oil

Sap - raw or cooked. A very sweet taste, it can be used as a refreshing drink[1, 2, 11, 61], concentrated into a syrup or fermented into a wine[183]. The tree is felled and the crown removed, the sap then begins to flow and, providing a thin section of trunk is removed daily, the sap will continue to flow for several months[2]. Yields of over 400 litres of sap can be obtained from a tree[2]. Fruit - candied and used as a sweetmeat[61, 183].The fruit is about 5cm in diameter[200]. Seed - raw or cooked[46, 61]. A pleasant nutty flavour raw[2], they are also used in sweetmeats[183]. The seed is about 5cm in diameter[231]. An edible oil is obtained from the seed[46, 61, 105, 177].

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

Basketry  Brush  Oil  Paper  Stuffing  Thatching

The leaves are used to make baskets, brushes and for thatching[46, 61, 139]. Fibres from the plant are used as a stuffing material for mattresses etc[139]. A paper is made from the fibres in the trunk[139].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Management: Standard  Regional Crop  Staple Crop: Oil

We have no records of the cultivation needs of this plant in Britain. It is said in many books that it is not hardy in Britain but some trees have been growing outdoors in Britain at Torquay since 1900 and they were 7.5 metres tall in 1972[11, 166]. It will probably require a sunny sheltered position in a moist but well-drained soil[231]. Some reports say that it can tolerate several degrees of short-lived frost[200, 260]. Palms usually have deep penetrating root systems and generally establish best when planted out at a young stage. However, older plants are substantially more cold tolerant than juvenile plants[231]. In areas at the limit of their cold tolerance, therefore, it is prudent to grow the plants in containers for some years, giving them winter protection, and only planting them into their permanent positions when sheer size dictates[231]. Palms can also be transplanted even when very large. Although the thick fleshy roots are easily damaged and/or desiccated, new roots are generally freely produced. It is important to stake the plant very firmly to prevent rock, and also to give it plenty of water until re-established - removing many of the leaves can also help[231]. This species is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit and seed plus its many other uses[139]. It is a very slow-growing plant that takes several years before it begins to form a trunk and takes up to 60 years to produce seed[139]. The tree is becoming very rare in its native range because it has been widely exploited for its edible sap. The trees are beheaded and a large quantity of sap exudes from the trunk. Unfortunately, the tree cannot produce side branches and so it dies after this treatment[139].

Carbon Farming

  • Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
  • Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
  • Staple Crop: Oil  (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Plant Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse. The seed can take 6 months to germinate[200]. Stored seed should be soaked for 12 - 24 hours in warm water as soon as it is received and then sown in a warm greenhouse. It can be very slow to germinate. The seed has a short viability. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and give them some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

SOUTHERN AMERICA: Chile (32-36 deg. S)

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.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Parajubaea cocoidesQuito PalmTree15.0 - MLMHSNM10 

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

(Moll.)Baill.

Botanical References

11200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Henry Waterhouse   Sun Oct 28 2007

Regarding hardiness and growth; I have 29 jubaea ranging from 5 years old to 8 meters of trunk(total height 11m), I live by Beverly in East Yorkshire, all of them don't have any protection and have had prolonged snow covering and -9 oC with no leaf damage. The growth of them has been virtually unchanged all year on the large trunked ones! They have grown approx 12 new fronds each over there first winter.

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