Collecting Parajubaea sp. in South America

[insipidtoast]

I know that P. sunkha and P. torralyi are native to Bolivia, however I will be in the Peruvian Andes next summer (Cuzco region) and want to either collect these seeds in the wild, or find a vendor down there. Does anyone know of a good source for these seeds while I'm in Cuzco (about 7 days)?

I live in Southern California, and have heard that although torralyi is faster and taller, it dies for unknown reasons (what a bummer)! Does anyone have any more recent info as to the cause of sudden death for torralyi? Since it is known to die unexpectedly, would you say sunkha is a better, surefire alternative for SoCal?

Also, to the best of your knowledge, which species has the better tasting fruit?

Thanks

[LJG]

Good luck. I never saw any Parajubaea while in Cuzco or other areas I visited.

[Perito]

Scott, I've grown alot of Parajubaea torallyi from seed, and lose VERY few of them. I've never heard of an established one in the ground just dying for no reason. There is a guy named Gaston Torres who lives in Argentina that wrote an aticle in the Palm journal a few years back; I don't know how to contact him but he may be able to steer you in the right direction and he is very knowledgeable concerning all the Parajubaeas. You may be able to search old Parajubaea threads in this forum and find him having posted a comment. That's the only lead I have for you; good luck in your quest! Perry

[Nigel]

The Bolivian President recently passed a law prohibiting native seeds from leaving the country so take care !

[insipidtoast]

So how did you get the seeds for the torralyis you grew? Maybe I won't collect this plant form Peru, but I could BUY some from a vendor.

So sunkha isn't a good consideration for an edible species?

[Nigel]

So how did you get the seeds for the torralyis you grew? Maybe I won't collect this plant form Peru, but I could BUY some from a vendor.

So sunkha isn't a good consideration for an edible species?

Peru no problem......... if you can buy there in peru then problem solved. there is a population of cocoides there in peru.

[Perito]

ortanique.com. I never tried eating them.

[insipidtoast]

So how did you get the seeds for the torralyis you grew? Maybe I won't collect this plant form Peru, but I could BUY some from a vendor.

So sunkha isn't a good consideration for an edible species?

Peru no problem......... if you can buy there in peru then problem solved. there is a population of cocoides there in peru.

Yes, I will be in Cuzco, and later in Iquitos. Why is it no problem? Do you know of a source? I'm not looking for cocoides. That species is supposedly not drought tolerant. I'm mainly looking for torralyis, but didn't realize there's so many variations! My priorities are speed of growth, drought-tolerance, and edibility.

Edited December 9, 2010 by insipidtoast

[Gaston Torres Vera]

Try again with any bolivian Parajubaea in southern California; they should be ok out there; the enviroiments are so simmilar then where this palms grow.- However you dont will see Parajs. in Cuzco, they grow just in some spots in Bolivia near Sucre and Vallgrande cities where are cultivated in a very small scale.-

That i know the cocoides forest in Peru is in the northern range, near the border with Ecuador, far away of Cuzco.-

Because the nuts sizes, the most edible specie are both torallyi and microcarpa.- Make the trip to Sucre city, you will enjoy to harvest for yourself its fruits, in a Patiño castle some few kilometres south of the city grow one of the very few torallyi cultivated i saw there.-

Reccomendyou try again the three bolivian species for your garden, is worth to try it, because i dont know about a suddenly died of an years cultivated of this palms save, overwatering, never the heat.- In my city i have also 40º C. and they grow the same.-

So how did you get the seeds for the torralyis you grew? Maybe I won't collect this plant form Peru, but I could BUY some from a vendor.

So sunkha isn't a good consideration for an edible species?

Peru no problem......... if you can buy there in peru then problem solved. there is a population of cocoides there in peru.

Yes, I will be in Cuzco, and later in Iquitos. Why is it no problem? Do you know of a source? I'm not looking for cocoides. That species is supposedly not drought tolerant. I'm mainly looking for torralyis, but didn't realize there's so many variations! My priorities are speed of growth, drought-tolerance, and edibility.

[Perito]

Gaston, the Parajubaea torallyi 'torallyi' seeds are much larger than the 'microcarpa' variation. Is there also more edible 'meat' in the larger seed? Thank you, Perry

[insipidtoast]

Gaston, the Parajubaea torallyi 'torallyi' seeds are much larger than the 'microcarpa' variation. Is there also more edible 'meat' in the larger seed? Thank you, Perry

Good question, this will help me make a decision of what to test from your stock.

[J. australis]

The only 'sudden Ptvt death' I've heard of once planted was from Phytopthera.

It and coccoides have survived bushfires here.

As for P coco not being drought-tolerant enough...well,I don't know if your local conditions are worse, but we've had a whole decade of drought here in Melbourne, including some terrible, terrible heatwaves where the temps were high forties for several days. That sort of weather kills off the delicates! Both tvt and coco were unmarked by the experience, unlike many subtropicals.

Here is P coccoides growing up, in drought:

Aged five.

Aged nine.

Aged eleven.

[insipidtoast]

Lost Crops of the Andes talks about how the area in which P. coccoides grows receives 10 months of rain/ year. According to this website:

http://www.enviro-friendly.com/melbourne-rainfall.shtml

Melbourne gets rain every month, which proves absolutely nothing regarding drought tolerance as far as I'm concerned. Melbourne isn't quite Mediterranean.

[richnorm]

Gaston, the Parajubaea torallyi 'torallyi' seeds are much larger than the 'microcarpa' variation. Is there also more edible 'meat' in the larger seed? Thank you, Perry

Good question, this will help me make a decision of what to test from your stock.

Microcarpa, not surprisingly, have smaller kernals.

[Perito]

Gaston, the Parajubaea torallyi 'torallyi' seeds are much larger than the 'microcarpa' variation. Is there also more edible 'meat' in the larger seed? Thank you, Perry

Good question, this will help me make a decision of what to test from your stock.

Microcarpa, not surprisingly, have smaller kernals.

I guess it makes sense, but never having busted open a torallyi seed, they could have been mostly husk. Thanks for the info! Perry

[Charles Wychgel]

Here is a picture to help you out when collecting the seed of Parajubaea, unfortunately no P.microcarpa

[richnorm]

Here's the endosperm of what some here think is microcarpa. The mother plant has a stem like a jubaea and is terrifically fast growing. I heard once that the seed of the mother came in a packet intended as a snack food!

[insipidtoast]

Are there any mature specimens in North America that produce viable seeds?

[Darold Petty]

Scott, I don't wish to be negative, but you won't encounter any palm seed vendors in Cuzco, nor any palms around town. I spent 3 weeks in Peru 2 years ago. The most common palm I saw was Washingtonia robusta. If you go to Machu Picchu be sure to visit the ruins at Ollantaytambo, also!