Jubaea


Jubaea

 

a genus of plants of the family Palmae. The sole species is J. spectabilis. The trunk measures 15–18 m in height and as much as 1 m in diameter. The crown consists of 60 to 100 pinnate leaves. The branching inflorescences reach 1.2–1.4 m in length, with the pistillate flowers at the base and the staminate ones on the upper section. The fruit is a drupe with a fleshy pericarp. The rounded seeds contain about 35 percent oil.

J. spectabilis grows on the Chilean coast at elevations to 1,200 m. The species has been greatly decimated. The sugary sap obtained from the trunk is used to make wine. The fruits and seeds are used in food, and the leaves are used as roof coverings. J. spectabilis is cultivated in parks along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus (Sukhumi, Sochi).