Chilean wine palm

Planted in 1843 from seed brought from Chile, the Chilean wine palm dominates Kew's Temperate House.

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Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis)

Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis) in Kew's Temperate House

Did you know?

  • This palm takes its latin name from Juba, king of the ancient berber kingdom of Numidia.
  • The Queen planted a seedling from the Chilean wine palm in the Temperate House in 1982 to commemorate the glasshouse’s reopening after renovations.

Historical information

Originally in the Palm House, the Chilean wine palm (Jubea chilensis) was moved to the Temperate House in 1862 and planted halfway between its present site and the gallery to the west. However, by 1938 it had reached 13.8 metres high and had to be moved to the centre of the house. In 1960, it stood 16.8 metres high; by 1985 it had almost reached 17.7m and it is still growing today. Kew horticulturalists believe it to be the tallest glasshouse plant in the world. It flowered and fruited for the first time at Kew in 1950; this now happens frequently.

About this species

Native to Chile, the palm is widely cultivated. For example, it is used as the central feature in sub-tropical bedding displays in the French Riviera. Its thick trunk yields palm syrup, which is fermented and sold as palm wine or concentrated by boiling to make a treacle. Extracting the syrup involves felling the tree. Each tree is cut and left for several months with its crown lying uphill, during which time up to 90 gallons of sap flows out. This practise is reducing wild populations of the palm. Locals also weave the leaves to make baskets, make sweet-meats from the fruits and extract an edible oil from the nuts.

 

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