Towering above young Nikau Palms in Pākaitore, Whanganui is a magnificent Chilean Wine Palm, regarded by many as one of the world’s most impressive palms.
It’s a slow-growing evergreen palm with a massive grey trunk, supporting a dense crown of 40 - 50 gracefully arching, feather-like leaves.
The thick, columnar trunk, up to 90cm across, is the largest of any palm. It is often swollen above its base. It is a monoecious species - meaning one tree has both male and female flowers.
Sprays of small, bowl-shaped, purple and yellow flowers are produced in summer on mature trees (50 years old).
The flowers give way to large clusters of rounded, edible, yellow fruits 2.5cm across with soft pulp that tastes like coconut.
