Etymology

Jubaea is a genus named after King Juba of Mauritania (antique North-African region), who was passionate about plants, science and culture. Chilensis means “from Chile”.

Description and flowering period

Jubaea chilensis is a palm tree reaching up to 25 meters in height and 2 meters in diameter. It grows slowly until its 15th year then starts growing more rapidly and finally comes to flower at around its 60year of age. Its solitary stipe (fake-trunk) is smooth, grey and bears the markings of ancient leaf-scars. The crown consists of around 50 pinnate, 4 to 5 meter long palm-leaves. The centre leaves are upright while the outwards leaves are recurved. They are composed of around 100 linear leaflets. The flowers are uni-sexual and organised in spadices: a spike composed of many small yellow-orange flowers and surrounded by a 1 meter-long boat-shaped brown tufted spathe (large modified leaf or bract). The fruits, which are 3cm in diameter, are ovoid drupes (fleshy pit fruits) similar to coconuts in shape and taste. They have a bright yellow to orange fibrous pulp and a white-fleshed single brown seed.

Habitat

It requires a well-drained soil in a sunny location. It is only adapted to climates with warm and dry summers and wet winters. It can withstand short spells of cold down to -10°C.

Uses

• Ornamental.
• Food & drink: The fruits – coquito nuts – rich in fatty acids and similar in taste to coconuts are consumed fresh in Chile; the sap is harvested by cutting the palm-tree; it is then cooked to create a syrup called palm-honey, as well as palm wine and a liqueur.
• Miscellaneous: Palm leaves can be used to make roofs and makeshift huts.

Notes

The Chile cocopalm, which was formerly very common on the Andes slopes, is now considered as a “vulnerable threatened species” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to over harvesting for palm honey production which requires killing the plant as well as over-collection of specimens for private exotic gardens, habitat destruction and predation of young specimens by rodents. Since 1941, many laws have been passed to regulate specimen and sap harvesting in order to preserve this emblematic Chilean palm species which is often referenced in national paintings and folk-songs and well represented in Chilean museums.

Translated by: François Saint-Hillier – MNHN