Chilean Wine Palm, Coquito Palm

Frost Tolerance: 16°F (-9°C)

Sun Exposure: Full sun to light shade

Growth Habits: Solitary, up to 80 feet tall (24 m), 16 feet in diameter (5 m); gray trunk with leaf scars, Up to 1.5m (5') wide; pinnate, stiff feather leaves, which are dull green above and greyish underneath, up to 12 feet long (3.6 m).

Watering Needs: Moderate water

Propagation: Seeds, slow to germinate, usually taking between 6 to 16 months.

The Chilean Wine Palm is cold resistant, but doesn't care much for heat. It does well in many part of California, but doesn't do well in Florida or Arizona.
The wine is made from the sap of the tree. The extraction of the sap kills the tree, and the Wine Palm is now rare and protected in Chile.
The fruit is sweet and edible. The seed is also edible. It is hollow, and look and taste like a miniature coconut.
The Wine Palms drop their leaves naturally, so it is generally not necessary to trim them.

Blooming Habits:
Large number of very small purple flowers. Flowers are in groups of 2 males flowers for 1 female.. Flower stalk coming from among the leaves, 4 feet long.

Fruiting Habits:
Yellow round fruit, up to 2 inches in diameter (5 cm). The seed is round, 1 inch in diameter (2.5 cm).