Parajubaea cocoides
{{Short description|Species of palm}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Parajubaea-cocoides-AK.jpg
|genus = Parajubaea
|species = cocoides
|authority = Burret
}}
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.
Description
Palms up to 16 m tall, trunk up to 45 cm in diameter.{{Cite book|title=Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas|last=Henderson|first=Andrew|last2=Galeano-Garces|first2=Gloria|last3=Bernal|first3=Rodrigo|date=1997|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0691016003|pages=151|language=en}}{{Cite book|title=Manual to the Palms of Ecuador|last=Borchsenius|first=Finn|last2=Pedersen|first2=Henrik Borgtoft|last3=Balslev|first3=Henrik|date=1998|publisher=Department of Systematic Botany, Aarhus University in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador|isbn=9788787600538|pages=153|language=en}} 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.{{Cite book|title=Palmeras|last=Del Cañizo|first=Jose Antonio|date=2011|publisher=Mundi-Prensa Libros|isbn=9788484763994|language=es}} Inflorescence 1–2 m long, with 50-70 short branches. Fruit ellipsoid, 4-5.5 cm long, 2.8–4 cm in diameter, greenish brown.
Distribution and habitat
Known only from cultivation in the Andean valleys of southern Colombia and Ecuador at elevations of 2000–3000 m. However, an alleged natural population was reported in a town in northern Peru at 1900 m.{{Cite journal|last=Roca|first=F|date=2010|title=Parajubaea cocoides, a new record for Peru|journal=Palms|volume=54|issue=3|pages=133–136}}
Uses
Parajubaea cocoides is cultivated as an ornamental palm for parks and avenues.National Research Council. (1989). Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. p. 319-321 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.
File:Parajubaea cocoides in front of the Cuenca New Cathedral.jpg.]]
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- Palm and Cycad Society of Australia [http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Parajubaea/cocoides.html Parajubaea cocoides]
- Palmpedia.net [http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Parajubaea_cocoides Parajubaea cocoides]
{{Commons category|Parajubaea cocoides|position=left}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q7134805}}
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