Jubaea chilensis (Chilean Wine Palm)
Chilean Wine Palm, Chilean Coquito Palm, Coquito, Honey Palm, Little Cokernut Palm, Palm Honey Tree, Jubaea spectabilis
Regarded by many as one of the most impressive palms in the world, Jubaea chilensis (Chilean Wine Palm) is a slow-growing evergreen palm with a huge and massive gray trunk supporting a dense crown of 40-50 gracefully arching featherlike leaves. Each pinnate gray-green leaf is up to 15 ft. long (450 cm), and divided into many narrow, rigid leaflets. The thick columnar trunk, up to 3 ft. across (90 cm), is the biggest of any palms. It is often swollen above its base. Jubaea chilensis is a monoecious species, meaning that one tree has both male and female flowers. Sprays of small, bowl-shaped, purple and yellow flowers are produced in summer on mature trees (50 years old). The flowers give way to large clusters of rounded, edible, yellow fruits, 1 in. across (2.5 cm), with a soft pulp that tastes like coconut. Extremely slow-growing and long-lived (several hundred years), Chilean Wine Palm is also the most cold-hardy feather palm. It can withstand temperatures as low as 7°F (-14°C). Tolerant to cold, moist winters, frost, and drought, Jubaea is widely cultivated in warm temperate regions of the world as a magnificent ornamental. It deserves an adequate space in the garden to thrive and look its best.
- Winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
- Grows with an upright habit up to 60-80 ft. tall (18-24 m) and 20-25 ft. wide (6-8 m).
- Easily grown in fertile, moist, well-drained soils in full sun. Drought tolerant once established.
- Chilean Wine Palm performs very well as a houseplant in a loam-based compost in full sun.
- No serious disease or pest issues. Keep an eye out for glasshouse red spider mite.
- Minimal pruning required - remove dead leaves by cutting close to the leaf base leaving stubs to create a neat pattern.
- Propagate by seed sown at not less than 77°F (25ºC). Germination may take three to six months
- Native to Central Chile.
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Requirements
Hardiness | 8
– 11 |
---|---|
Heat Zones | 9
– 11 |
Climate Zones | 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
Plant Type | Palms - Cycads |
Plant Family | Palms - Cycads |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest |
Spring (Early,Mid,Late) Summer (Early,Mid,Late) Fall Winter |
Height | 60' – 80' (18m – 24m) |
Spread | 20' – 25' (6m – 7.5m) |
Water Needs | Low, Average |
Maintenance | Low |
Soil Type | Chalk, Loam, Sand |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
Characteristics | Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen, Fruit & Berries |
Tolerance | Drought |
Garden Styles | City and Courtyard, Mediterranean Garden |
Tracy Hall (Flickr), (c) Gerhard Bock, SucculentsandMore.com
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Requirements
Hardiness | 8
– 11 |
---|---|
Heat Zones | 9
– 11 |
Climate Zones | 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 |
Plant Type | Palms - Cycads |
Plant Family | Palms - Cycads |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest |
Spring (Early,Mid,Late) Summer (Early,Mid,Late) Fall Winter |
Height | 60' – 80' (18m – 24m) |
Spread | 20' – 25' (6m – 7.5m) |
Water Needs | Low, Average |
Maintenance | Low |
Soil Type | Chalk, Loam, Sand |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained |
Characteristics | Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen, Fruit & Berries |
Tolerance | Drought |
Garden Styles | City and Courtyard, Mediterranean Garden |