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Attalea colenda - (O.F.Cook) Balslev & A.J.Hend.

Common Name Palma real, Chivila
Family Arecaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Lowland rain forest or deciduous forest, especially common in disturbed or cleared areas, at elevations up to 900 metres[ 768 ]. It normally grows between 400-500 m altitude in Ecuador. It can grow up to 1300 m altitude.
Range S. America - Ecuador, Colombia.
Edibility Rating    (4 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Full sun
Attalea colenda Palma real, Chivila


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Attalea colenda Palma real, Chivila
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Summary

Attalea colenda or Palma Real is a large, monoecious, tropical palm of up to 30 m tall found in Colombia, Ecuador, and South America. It has a thick trunk, long and upright leaves, and large, oily, oval fruits. The large seed yields cooking oil. Fibre can be obtained from the leaves.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of cone
Attalea colenda is an evergreen Tree growing to 25 m (82ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, insects.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Ynesa colenda O.F.Cook

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit  Oil  Seed
Edible Uses: Oil

Edible portion: Seeds, oil. An oil extracted from the seed is used for cooking[ 768 ]. Similar to coconut and African oil palm. The infructescences of this species are unusually large and heavy, with some of them weighing more than 100 kilos; an assay of the individual seeds showed 51.74% oil and 4.28% water[ 769 ].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Fibre  Oil  Pioneer

Other uses rating: Medium (3/5). Other Uses A long fibre with commercial value can be obtained from the leaf petiole margins[ 769 ].

Special Uses

Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Each tree produces one to four infructescences per year. Based on the oil content, it is estimated that 100 trees per hectare could produce 10 to 27 tonnes of seeds, or between 5 and 13 tonnes of oil per hectare per year[ 769 ]. Production: Seedling grown is quite fast.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

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Propagation

Seed - The seeds are large and slow and erratic to germinate.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Attalea colenda or Palma Real is a large, monoecious, tropical palm of up to 30 m tall found in Colombia, Ecuador, and South America. It has a thick trunk, long and upright leaves, and large, oily, oval fruits. The large seed yields cooking oil. Fibre can be obtained from the leaves.

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Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Found In: Colombia, Ecuador, South America.

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Attalea butyraceaWine PalmTree20.0 10-12 MLMHNDM405
Attalea funiferaBahia Piassava, Conquilla Nut, Piassaba PalmTree15.0 10-12 MLMHNDM104
Attalea maripaInaja, Maripa PalmTree15.0 10-12 MLMHSNM325
Attalea speciosaBabassu, American Oil Palm, Motacu, MotacuchiTree30.0 10-12 SLMHNM425

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Author

(O.F.Cook) Balslev & A.J.Hend.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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