SCIENTIFIC NAME: Jubaea chilensis

COMMON NAME(S): Chilean wine palm
SUB FAMILY: Arecoideae
TRIBE: Cocoeae
ORIGIN: Chile
HARDINESS ZONES: 9-10A (no problem at 26 degrees F), (thought to be hardy to 4 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 50-80'
GROWTH RATE: Slow
HABIT: Solitary, robust; massive crown of several dozen leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: Low
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: High (once established)
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: High
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Specimen tree; sap collected for sugar and alcohol (palm is killed)
HUMAN HAZARDS: None
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: None

COMMENTS: California and other Mediterranean climatic zones only. This rare and amazing palm species quite possibly has the thickest trunk of any palm so far known. Chilean wine palm occurs in a few coastal valleys in Chile that remain devoid of extremes of both heat and cold. Native populations were exploited for the sugary sap for many years. This practice severely reduced their numbers since the trunk is cut down at harvest. The species is now protected by law. Sap reportedly can be collected from felled trunks for up to two years. Chilean wine palm grows poorly in hot, humid, tropical and subtropical climates. It is best suited for coastal California, the Mediterranean coast and similar climatic zones in Australia and South Africa.