Euterpe oleracea (Pará Dwarf) - "Super Berry"

[Mark_NoVA]

The description from Rare Palm Seeds makes it sound like this could be nice in a container--fruits at 1m after 3 years, stays relatively short, large amount of good quality berries (which I imagine would be attractive).

What has been your experience with these? Is anybody selling them?

[DoomsDave]

That sounds beyond cool, if true.

Hmm. I think it would take some real doing to get a palm to fruit in the house.

The berries are delicious, and filled with nutrients. If they're good enough for Oprah . . . . ..

[Jeff Searle]

The description from Rare Palm Seeds makes it sound like this could be nice in a container--fruits at 1m after 3 years, stays relatively short, large amount of good quality berries (which I imagine would be attractive).

What has been your experience with these? Is anybody selling them?

Maybe where it's native to. But outside it's cultural zone, I'm not so sure.

Jeff

[amazondk]

This variety of Euterpe olearcea is called Açai BRS Parà here in Brazil. It was developed by Embrapa the Federal Agricultural Institute by crossing different cultivers until they came up with this varieity. The tree sets fruits in 3 years. The production is estimated at 10 tons of berries per hectare per year once the planation comes into production after 3 years.

dk

[Mark_NoVA]

Thanks for the info! Out of curiosity, do you know if it's pure E olearcea, or if other Euterpe species were blended in?

10 tons of berries per hectare per year--wow! (Imagine how many seeds should be available!)

This variety of Euterpe olearcea is called Açai BRS Parà here in Brazil. It was developed by Embrapa the Federal Agricultural Institute by crossing different cultivers until they came up with this varieity. The tree sets fruits in 3 years. The production is estimated at 10 tons of berries per hectare per year once the planation comes into production after 3 years.

[amazondk]

Mark,

From what I understand they came up with this variety by crossing different fruits of E. olearcea growing in the region of eastern Para. The mouth of the Amazon river is where the tree is abundant in habitat. That is the area around Marajo island especially. They concentrated on trees that produced fruit early and also on the amount of pulp on the berry.

[edric]

I raise hundreds of seedlings a year, and have great success, and had two of the E. O. of which you speak, and they did great, until the first couple of forty something degree nights, and over night they were dead, this is a very sensitive palm, at least when young, unless you've got a hell of a green house, and artificial lighting, you don't stand a chance in D.C. area, sorry, Mr. Searle said it in fewer words, out of habitat, I would bet if you don't live in Miami, you're wasting your time with this palm, Ed

[palmislandRandy]

I raise hundreds of seedlings a year, and have great success, and had two of the E. O. of which you speak, and they did great, until the first couple of forty something degree nights, and over night they were dead, this is a very sensitive palm, at least when young, unless you've got a hell of a green house, and artificial lighting, you don't stand a chance in D.C. area, sorry, Mr. Searle said it in fewer words, out of habitat, I would bet if you don't live in Miami, you're wasting your time with this palm, Ed

Jeffs correct. I have a 7 gallon I was going to put in the ground this spring, but 37 degrees burned it back considerably. It's fried, but not dead yet!

[amazondk]

You can get hybreds of E. olearcea and E. edulis here. They may have a more cold tolerant gene in them.

dk

[Mark_NoVA]

Thanks again for the info!

Growing any type of Euterpe here, the plant needs to come inside for a long time, but I have some nice windowed areas in the house. So for growing here, a more cold-tolerant Euterpe only means it can stay outside a few weeks longer, before coming indoors for half the year. For the half-year outdoors, the palms are pretty happy because of the tropical-feeling summers here (comfortable for palms, not for people). Right now I'm experimenting with a wide range of palms to see how they do. In the best spots, even Cyrtostachys renda has survived; however, there are a lot of 'not-best' spots, and the space fills up. I have some E. edulis surviving in one of the worse spots (unheated garage with grow light), but won't try that again. The smaller form of BRS Parà makes it sound like something interesting to experiment with.

[amazondk]

Mark,

I think that the E. olearcea BRS Para actually will still get pretty tall, probably over 30 feet with time in a warm climate. The main advantage here is that it produces fruit two to three years earlier than the common varieties. As a decorative tree there may be no noticable difference between the common variety and this one.

dk

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Humidity may be a larger issue when inside during the winter......

Rusty

[edric]

That palm must be grown in a greenhouse, he is right, not near enough humidity inside a house, in the winter, Ed