Palms For California

Pronunciation: joo-BAY-uh chil-LEN-siss

Common Name: Chilean Wine Palm

Jubaea chilensis is a majestic tree and one of the hardiest and most prized of all trees grown in both northern as well as southern California. This is the world's largest palm in terms of weight and trunk thickness. Excellent choice for just about any environment in California other than snowy mountains and beaches. Silhouette similar to that of a Canary Island Date Palm, but more blue-grey leaves, smoother trunk and slower growing. One of the few palms that are a good investment, as old, mature palms are worth thousands and other than being very cumbersome to move, transplant fairly well.

Appearance and Biology Habit: Solitary Height: 60 feet Trunk: clean and fairly smooth (leaf scars visible) up to 5' thick, unringed and grey; trunks prone to tapering in times of drought Crownshaft: none Spread: 20'-25' Leaf Shape: pinnate with stiff, reduplicate leaflets, closely spaced, fairly stiff and entire leaf arching slightly. Crowns of leaves vary from nearly shuttlecock, to arching upright, to straight in all directions forming nearly a sphere in silhouette Petiole: 18"-24" and unarmed, deeply channeled and rough edges covered with fiber Foliage: blue-green to deep, dark green Reproduction: monoecious; seeds slow to germinate- can take up to 2 years Inflorescence: 4' long, branched with maroon to purplish flowers (separate male and female flowers) Fruit: 4cm green to yellow or orange as ripens Seed: 2cm spherical

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 15F Drought Tolerance: high Dry Heat Tolerance: excellent but needs periods of cooling, or suffers Cool Tolerance: excellent Wind Tolerance: good Salt Tolerance: low Growth Rate: slow to moderate Germination comments: even fresh seeds tends to have a long and low germination rate. Sometimes seeds sewn take over 2 years to germinate Soil Preference: very tolerant of most soils, and do very well in heavy clay soils Light Requirement: full sun Human Hazards: none Disease or Horticultural Problems: bud rot if watered from above; struggles with constant 24hour heat; struggles with high humidity Indoor?: very poor choice