Native to the Andes, this tall (to 15 m), elegant palm occurs at very high altitudes (3,000 m and more) and is therefore especially suited to temperate and high altitude tropics. It is able to withstand temperatures well below 0°C and is also tolerant of high temperatures. It prefers a sunny position. The plant is reported to lose vigour when evening temperatures remain high. The plant has an appearance similar to the coconut palm.
It is long lived and extremely fast growing for a palm and can produce its first crop of nuts within 3 - 4 years. It puts down very deep roots and once established is able to survive for months without water.
The plant bears long clusters of 30 - 50 edible nuts, 4 - 5 cm in diameter, which look and taste like coconut. The nuts contain a usable oil. The nuts are green when they first fall and turn brown soon after.
Propagation is by seed. Germination can take a year or more. Fresh seed seems to germinate fastest. Leaving the seeds in a plastic bag of warm peat moss and checking them often has proven a good method of germination.