Chilean Wine Palm
Jubaea chilensis

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A slow growing palm to 16-25 m tall. The trunk is 1.3-2 m across. The trunk has dark grey diamond shaped leaf scars. The feathery fronds are 2-4 m long. The leaflets are 0.6 m long and 2-3 cm wide. They split at the ends. The leaves are dull green. The flowers are small and purple. They occur in 1.3 m long stalks which have one branch. The flowers occur as one female and two male flowers in groups. The flowers are pollinated by wind and insects. The fruit is 5 cm long and oval. They are egg yellow. They hang in bunches. The flesh is edible. The fruit contains one seed. The kernel is edible.

There is only one Jubaea species.

Where it is found

It suits Mediterranean type climates. They cannot tolerate hot humid tropical conditions. They can grow in temperate conditions. They are hardy to about -6°C. They do best in a sunny position. They can tolerate wind but not salt. They can be grown under most soil conditions. They are drought tolerant once established. In Melbourne Botanical Gardens. It grows to 36°C South in Argentina and Chile. It suits hardiness zones 8-10. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens. National Arboretum Canberra.

Countries/locations it is found in

Argentina, Australia, Britain, Chile (country/location of origin), Europe, Mediterranean, New Zealand, Russia, South America, Tasmania

How it is used for food

The fruit stalk can be tapped for sap. This is distilled to make palm honey. It is also used for wine. The fruit are candied. The nut is eaten. They are also used for oil.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Fruit, nuts, seeds, sap, palm heart, cabbage, seeds - oil

How it is grown

Palms can be grown from seed. They need to be sown fresh. The seed are large and need to be sown fairly deeply. The seed germinates erratically. It can take 6 months or a year for seed to germinate.

Plants grow slowly. They can take 15 years to produce. The fruit are harvested as they ripen. The nuts or kernels will keep for months if stored dry and cool. Up to 300 litres of sap can be collected over one month from a mature palm.

Its other names

Local names

Coquito Nut, Coco de Chile, Honey Palm, Little Cokernut, Palma chilena, Palmera de coquitos

Synonyms

Cocos chilensis (Molina) Kunth; Jubaea spectabilis Kunth; Micrococos chilensis (Molina) Philippi; Molinaea micrococos Bertero; Palma chilensis Molina;