Common Name: Cohune Nut

General Information

Cohune nut is a massive but very slow-growing, single-stemmed, evergreen palm that can eventually grow more than 20 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 30 - 60cm in diameter; it is topped by a crown of extremely long leaves that can be up to 10 metres long[, ]. These leaves, combined with a bole that can reach 15 metres, results in a rather impressive plant[].
The fruit of wild trees is harvested commercially and used to make an oil that is of local importance[, ]. This is a handsome and majestic feather palm that is often grown as an ornamental[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S. America - Colombia, through Central America to Mexico.

Habitat

Rainforest[]. Found mostly on rather well-drained land, on plains or often on mountainsides, at elevations from sea level to 300 metres[]. Often forming a dense undergrowth in primeval forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Bees, Wasps
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the hot, wet, lowland tropics[, ], it can also be grown in a warm spot in the subtropics[]. Plants grow best where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,500 - 3,000mm, and can tolerate 1,000 - 5,000mm[]. Mature and established plants have been reported to tolerate temperatures down to -4 to -5°c, losing 10 - 100% of their foliage but recovering during warmer months[].
Even young trees can be grown in full sun[]. Plants are very resistant to wind damage[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, but can tolerate 4.5 - 7.5[].
A very slow-growing plant[].
Plants are not tolerant of forest fires, the mortality either being the result of direct damage or indirect damage such as increased pathogen access through the fire damaged bark[].
Plants can flower all year round[]. The fruiting panicles are very large and heavy, pendent, often containing 800 - 1,000 fruits, each fruit about 6cm long, and resembling a small coconut[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[]. About the size of a hen's egg, when fresh it is said to resemble coconut[]. The seed has a hard, heavy shell that is difficult to crack[]. The ellipsoid fruit, which is about 6cm long, is produced in large clusters[].

A non-drying oil used for cooking can be extracted from the seed[, , ].

Fruit - raw[]. It can be used to make sweetmeats[, , ].

Very young shoots are used as a vegetable[]. The heart of the palm, located in the last 120cm of the trunk before the base of the leaf stems, is considered a delicacy[]. It can be cut in pieces and eaten raw[]. Eating the heart (apical bud) leads to the eventual death of the tree since it is unable to make side shoots[].

Inner bark - cooked[]. Tough and fibrous[]. A survival food, used when nothing better is available[].

A kind of wine is sometimes made from the sap[]. A cavity about 30cm square is cut in the cabbage, screened in various manners, and left for about a week, during which time the sap collects and ferments[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The leaves are used for thatching[, ].
The plant is commonly used to make huts and temporary shelters[].The stout midribs of the leaves are used to form the framework, whilst the leaves, placed crosswise so that their segments form a dense thatch, are used to make the roofs[]. Such buildings are substantial and durable[].
Segments of the large leaves are used by the Indians of Alta Verapaz for making the suyacales - large mats that protect their clothing and loads from the rains[]. During the rainy season an Indian with a rolled-up suyacal (if it is not raining) is almost as characteristic of Alta Verapaz as the Britisher with his rolled umbrella is of England[].

Young leaves are used to make hats[, ].

The dried inflorescence is used as broom[].

A valuable non-drying oil obtained from the seed is used as an illuminant and in making soap[, , ]. The nuts are very hard and difficult to crush, which makes extracting the oil more difficult[]. Special machinery has been developed to do this[].
The large, oval-shaped fruit is harvested commercially to produce cohune oil, a lubricant[].
The endocarp of the fruit is exploited as fuel[].

The wood is used in construction[].
The hard seed shells have been used in the preparation of charcoal for gas masks[].

Propagation

Seed -

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