Jubaea chilensis (Chilean Wine Palm)
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.
Requirements
Hardiness | 8 – 11 |
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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)FallWinter |
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 |