Palma real, Chivila
Attalea colenda

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

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.

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.

Height (m): 25

Where it is found

Lowland rain forest or deciduous forest, especially common in disturbed or cleared areas, at elevations up to 900 metres. It normally grows between 400-500 m altitude in Ecuador. It can grow up to 1300 m altitude.

S. America - Ecuador, Colombia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Countries/locations it is found in

Found In: Colombia, Ecuador, South America.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Edible portion: Seeds, oil. An oil extracted from the seed is used for cooking. 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.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 3

Other uses rating: Medium (3/5). Other Uses A long fibre with commercial value can be obtained from the leaf petiole margins.

Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper 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.

Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

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. Production: Seedling grown is quite fast.

Propagating it: Seed - The seeds are large and slow and erratic to germinate.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

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

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

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.

Synonyms

Ynesa colenda O.F.Cook