Chilean wine palm

About the plant

One of the world’s most magnificent palms, Jubaea chilensis is native to Chile in South America. A victim of its own success, this tree has been felled at great rates because of its many uses.

Vulnerable

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.

IUCN Red List Status:

Not yet evaluated

Data deficient

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct in the wild

Extinct
Banked in the MSB

Seeds from this plant have been banked in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst in Sussex
Cultural use

Plant has cultural uses, these might be every day or ceremonial
Human food

Plant supplies food for humans

Click on icon to reveal more

Facts

Found in a small area of central Chile
Can grow to 8–15m tall
Sap is used for palm wine and palm syrup
Edible seeds
Leaves are used to make baskets
One of the most southerly occurring palms

*Jubaea chilensis*
Andrew McRobb © RBG Kew

*Jubaea chilensis* in Chile
© John Dransfield, RBG Kew

*Jubaea chilensis* on a hillside in Chile
© John Dransfield, RBG Kew

Fruit and nuts of *Jubaea chilensis*
By Nutsia via flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

Previous specimen of *Jubaea chilensis* in the Temperate House
© William Baker, RBG Kew

"Specimens of the Coquito Palm of Chile, in Camden Park, New South Wales"
Oil painting by Marianne North, no 603

Palm wine

Palm wine is an alcoholic drink, using the sap from palm trees, including coconut and date palms.

For most palms the sap can be extracted by tapping, but for the Chilean wine palm the sap can only be extracted by felling the tree. This is now limited under Chilean law, and it is hoped that non-destructive harvesting methods will eventually be implemented.

Record breaker

We had a specimen which reached the roof of the Temperate House. It was widely believed to be the tallest glasshouse plant in the world.

It was raised from seed in 1843. Unfortunately it had to be removed as it outgrew its spot, but new specimens have been grown from the seed of this same tree.

Not Darwin's favourite

Charles Darwin, who observed the species in Chile during his voyage on the Beagle wrote of them: “These palms are, for their family, ugly trees. Their trunk is very large, and of a curious form, being thicker in the middle than at the base or top.”

Named after King Juba II, who ruled Numidia between 85 and 46 BC, because of his great interest in botany

Vulnerable

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.

IUCN Red List Status:

Not yet evaluated

Data deficient

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct in the wild

Extinct
Banked in the MSB

Seeds from this plant have been banked in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst in Sussex
Cultural use

Plant has cultural uses, these might be every day or ceremonial
Human food

Plant supplies food for humans

Click on icon to reveal more

Named after King Juba II, who ruled Numidia between 85 and 46 BC, because of his great interest in botany

Where to find this plant

Temperate House

Home to 1,500 plant species from temperate regions around the world.

The Americas: Temperate Region

Home to 33% of all the world’s plant species, of which 108,193 species can only be found in the Americas.