Common Name: Queen Palm

General Information

Queen palm is a single-stemmed, evergreen palm tree growing 7 - 25 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 30 - 50cm in diameter; it is topped with a graceful, drooping canopy of 7 - 15 leaves that can be 3 - 4 metres long[, , ].
The plant is gathered from the wild for its edible fruit and young buds, which are consumed locally. The plant is also widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas as an ornamental plant.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S. America - Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern, central and eastern Brazil.

Habitat

Forest areas, commonly along river banks and sea coasts, sometimes to more elevated regions, and often in large stands[]. Found in a variety of habitats from seasonally dry forests, swampy areas and coastal forests[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

Plants succeed in moist tropical and subtropical climates where temperatures never fall below 10°c, the average annual rainfall is 1,500mm or more and the driest month has 25mm or more rain[, ].
Older plants thrive in full sun, but young plants require some shade[]. An easily grown and fast-growing plant that is tolerant of a wide range of conditions so long as there is an adequate supply of moisture to the roots[]. Grows best in acidic, well-drained soils[]. Succeeds in swampy and periodically inundated soils[]. Established plants are drought resistant[].
Plants are remarkably tolerant of transplanting, and can even be moved when quite large in order to provide 'instant' landscaping[, ].

Edible Uses

The young apical bud is sometimes eaten as a vegetable[, , ]. This practice effectively kills the tree since it is unable to produce side shoots[].

Fruit - raw[, ]. The succulent, but fibrous flesh has a sweet and pleasant flavour[]. The fruit is about 2cm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The fruits, when macerated in wine or made into a syrup, are said to be an effective pectoral[].

Other Uses

The leaves, or the fibres obtained from them, are used for making baskets, hats etc[].

The wood is moderately heavy, hard, very durable in salt water. It is used for various constructional purposes, as stepping boards over swampy areas, footbridges and rustic piers in salt water[, , ].
The trunks are frequently hollowed out to make water pipes[].

Propagation

Seed - fresh seed germinates easily[]. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours in warm water and sow in containers. Germination usually takes place in about 2 months[]. Seedlings develop deep-running roots and early growth is rapid so long as the roots are given room to develop[]. It is, therefore, best to plant out the seedlings in the shade of other plants as soon as they are about 10cm tall.

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