Parajubaea cocoides | |
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Scientific classification
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Arecales |
Family: | Arecaceae |
Genus: | Parajubaea |
Species: | P. cocoides
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Binomial name | |
Parajubaea cocoides |
Parajubaea cocoides, the mountain coconut, coco Cumbe or Quito palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It occurs in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
Palms up to 16 m tall, trunk up to 45 cm in diameter. [1] [2] Leaves 3–4 m long, dark green above, grayish green beneath, with 60-70 pairs of segments or pinnae, the longest pinnae in the middle up to 70 cm long. [2] [3] Inflorescence 1–2 m long, with 50-70 short branches. [2] Fruit ellipsoid, 4-5.5 cm long, 2.8–4 cm in diameter, greenish brown. [1]
Known only from cultivation in the Andean valleys of southern Colombia and Ecuador at elevations of 2000–3000 m. [1] [3] However, an alleged natural population was reported in a town in northern Peru at 1900 m. [4]
Parajubaea cocoides is cultivated as an ornamental palm for parks and avenues. [5] Outside its area of origin, it is found in cultivation in San Francisco, Sydney, Costa del Sol, New Zealand.The seeds are edible and taste like coconut. [3] [5]