This taxon was first scientifically described in 1826 as Cocos capitata in the Historia Naturalis Palmarum by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, who described and illustrated the palm from sketches and herbarium collections he made on montane grasslands near the Serra de Santo Antônio, Minas Gerais. This is in large part due to the fact that pindo palm tree fruit can make a mess on lawns, driveways, and paved walkways. Very, very good. The tree is hardy and fairly cold tolerant and makes not only a lovely ornamental but an edible addition to the landscape. The top portion of the fruit must be cut off to reveal the sweet jelly seed sockets, translucent pale-white, similar to that of the lychee but with a milder flavor and no pit. If you have ever wanted to make homemade jelly, try making your own pindo palm jelly. Ripe fruit appears in dark yellowish/orange color with its size resembling exact to cherry. The one-inch, yellow to orange-colored fruits are round to oval-shaped, and hang in large sprays from the tree. They are also called wine palms in some regions, those that make a cloudy but heady wine from the fruit. [10], The fruits are locally harvested from the wild between November and February to make juices, liquor, marmalades and ice-cream. I once harvested about 50lbs from the Ocala agricultural extension offices and made jelly with them. Pindo Palm produces an abundance of golden yellow fruit rich in pectin, thus making it easy to turn into a jelly. In the late spring, a pink flower emerges from amongst the palm leaves. I say “almost” because although the fruit does contain a significant amount of pectin which will help to thicken the jelly, it isn’t enough to completely thicken and you will likely need to add additional pectin to the recipe. Jelly palm fruit also known as Palm date, Wine palm, Yatay and botanically as Butia capitata. Triangle Palm. 1/2 teaspoon butter, to prevent foaming. Today they are widely grown in many parts of the world. So those of you in southern regions, think about planting a pindo palm. I was so happy to learn about this feather leaved palm because it was not only hardy (can withstand temperatures down to 15 F), beautiful and mid-sized, but it also produces fruit… Coconut, pineapple, passion fruit – you taste notes of different tropical delights in it. Read on to find out if the fruit of the pindo palm is edible and jelly palm fruit uses, if any. Argentina, Brazil, Uraguay – Jelly Palm (Pindo Palm) Also plentiful in Florida, the Jelly Palm a.k.a. 5 cups juice (see cook's note) Juice of 1 lemon. The pulp can be frozen for industrial production. Jelly palm fruits from early summer (June) to as late as November in the U.S. Once a staple of practically every southern yard, the pindo palm is now more often thought of as a nuisance. The fruit is often ingested raw, although some find the fibrous quality a bit off putting. These palms vary in form from one individual to the next. They taste great but it's large, inedible seed and stringy flesh makes eating it raw a challenge. It forms a graceful, drooping 20-foot crown with bright orange fruit (dates) that favor ripening in the winter months but can be found at other times as well. Some important uses and benefits of Pindo Palm Fruit. JELLY PALM Butia capitata Becc. The pits are high in oil, so advice for cooking the fruit whole says the jelly can pick up bitter flavor from the seeds. Becc as good sources of β-carotene and provitamin A. Juliana Pereira Faria, Egle M. A. Siqueira, Roberto Fontes Vieira and Tânia da Silveira Agostini-Cost, Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura, Oct. 2011, vol.33, no.spe1, "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families", "A conspectus of the palm genus Butia Becc", "Re-evaluation of the Genus Butia With a Description of a New Species", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Butia_capitata&oldid=993480035, Taxonbars with automatically added basionyms, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 10 December 2020, at 20:50. Jelly palms do indeed bear edible pindo fruit, although with the abundance of fruit dangling from the palms and its absence from the consumer market, most people have no idea the fruit of the pindo palm is not only edible but delicious. These palms vary in form from one individual to the next. [5], An oil can be extracted from the nuts which is quite similar to coconut oil. Jelly Palm or Wine Palm. The palm is tall, stately, single-trunked with a crown of glossy, bright green, soft feather-like fonds. People are happy for you to take it, especially if you give them a jar of jelly … The core of the tree is also edible, but utilizing it will kill the tree. Strain fruit through several layers of cheesecloth, discard fruit, measure juice collected. The pinnately compound leaves, 3-6 ft. (90-180 cm), form a dense, full crown and arch gracefully creating a slightly weeping effect. Freezing and thawing the fruit actually helps break down some of the fiber and release juices, and makes them much easier to pit. Common Names: Jelly Palm, Pindo Palm, Wine Palm. The palm trees produce pindo fruit, which has a citrus smell and a succulent taste. In Minas Gerais it flowers from May to July[8] and is in fruit from November to February. They have the added benefit of being some of the more cold tolerant palm trees, taking several degrees of frost before showing signs of distress. Butia Palm Fruit Jelly with powdered pectin. The pindo palm’s other common name—jelly palm—is a clue that the fruits make good jellies and jams. The fruit has orange, sometimes red, skin. The fruit is often ingested raw, although some find the fibrous quality a bit off putting. 3 quarts ripe palm fruit. The pindo fruit, or “pindo dates,” resemble palm … Jelly Palm is a popular landscape plant in the northern areas of Florida as well as the Gulf and Atlantic area of the southeast, in North Florida, and throughout the mild Gulf and Atlantic coastal regions of the southeastern United States. 6 cups water. Many folks simply chew on the fruit and then spit out the fiber. The preferred method of eating Pindo palm fruit is as jelly hence it's common name, "Jelly Palm". The discarded seeds are 45% oil and in some countries are used to make margarine. [2][8], In 1970 Sidney Fredrick Glassman moved this species, along with all other Butia, to Syagrus,[9] but in 1979 he changed his mind and moved everything back. It has feather palm pinnate leaves that arch inwards towards a thick stout trunk. Palms cultivated around the world under the name Butia capitata are actually almost all B. odorata. Jelly Palm is noted as one of the hardiest feather palms as it could tolerate the temperature of about-10 °C. Native to the Brazil and Uruguay but prevalent throughout South America is the pindo palm, or jelly palm (Butia capitata). Palm Fruit Jelly. The palm makes such a mess because of the astounding amount of fruit it produces, more than most households can consume. We do not know how delicious the fruit of the jelly palm is. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! The fruit of the palm trees are a light orange to brown color and are used to make jelly – hence the name ‘jelly palm.’ The palm is especially attractive when it flowers with red, yellow, or white blossoms. As the name suggests, the high amount of pectin renders the use of the fruit of the pindo palm almost a match made in heaven. The jelly palm (Butia capitata), better known as the pindo palm, takes its nickname from the tasty jams and jellies made from the tree’s fruit. Jelly palm fruits from early summer (June) to as late as November in the U.S. June 21, 2010 - PRLog-- Jelly palm fruit (Butia capitata), also called pindo palm and wine palm, is a South American monoecious palm native to Brazil. It has feather palm pinnate leaves that arch inwards towards a thick stout trunk. As mentioned, the fruit can also be used to make wine. It is known locally as coquinho-azedo or butiá in (northern) Minas Gerais. Pindo palm fruit appears in the summer and is yellowish-orange, about the size of figs. 1 box Sure-Jell fruit pectin. The palm produces bright orange fruit (often called pindo dates in the Deep South). Simmer fruit in the water in a large saucepan until fruit is softened, about 30 minutes, crushing fruit with a potato masher as it cooks to release juices. The tree itself is a medium sized palm with pinnate palm leaves that arch towards the trunk. Barely cover with water (about 6 cups), bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Can we eat the Pindo Palm fruit? Latin Name: Butia capitata Site and Soil: Jelly Palm likes 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil. Specimens raised in dry and/or infertile soils tend to be smaller in stature with smaller leaves. The genus Butia, the so called pindo palms, are native to the grasslands of southern Brazil into Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina.They also are known as jelly palms since their large yellow-orange fruits can be used to make reasonably good tasting jams. Jelly palm fruit is often eaten fresh, off the tree, though its name comes from the most common preparation for these small fruits - jelly. The fruit is sometimes described as slightly fibrous with a large seed that tastes like a combination between a pineapple and an apricot. The large cluster of yellowish-orange drupes is produced on a stalk near the base of the curved leaves. The fruit can be used to make jelly immediately after harvest or the pit removed and the fruit frozen for later use. Jelly Palm (also known as the Pindo Palm) is not only one of the most popular of the feather palm varieties, but also one of the hardiest. Pindo palm trees bear fruit too, but the question is, “can you eat pindo palm fruit?”. 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