Chilean Wine Palm, Chile cocopalm
Jubaea chilensis

Family: Arecaceae or Palmae

What it is like

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.

Height (m): 12

Where it is found

Usually found between the coast and the hills to 300 metres, between latitudes 31 to 35°south.

S. America - Chile.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Sap - raw or cooked. A very sweet taste, it can be used as a refreshing drink, concentrated into a syrup or fermented into a wine. 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. Yields of over 400 litres of sap can be obtained from a tree. Fruit - candied and used as a sweetmeat.The fruit is about 5cm in diameter. Seed - raw or cooked. A pleasant nutty flavour raw, they are also used in sweetmeats. The seed is about 5cm in diameter. An edible oil is obtained from the seed.

Oil: Oil

Sap: usually of trees and usually but not always used as a drink.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

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

Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.

Brush: Used for cleaning clothes, as a paintbrush etc.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.

Stuffing: Used in making soft toys, mattresses, pillows etc.

Thatching: Used for making thatched roofs.

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).

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

How it is grown

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. It will probably require a sunny sheltered position in a moist but well-drained soil. Some reports say that it can tolerate several degrees of short-lived frost. 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. 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. 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. This species is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit and seed plus its many other uses. 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. 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.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse. The seed can take 6 months to germinate. 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.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge;

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 7-10

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

J. spectabilis. Cocos chilensis

Chilean Wine Palm, Chile cocopalm Jubaea chilensis