Euterpe oleracea (Pará Dwarf)

[exoticgreen]

Do any members have any pictures of mature Euterpe oleracea (Pará Dwarf) Super berry Acai Palm growing. Any information/comments on planting out Euterpe oleracea (Pará Dwarf) would be appreciated.

[Dypsisdean]

Here's a photo, and a link to a little info and more photos http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Euterpe_oleracea

[exoticgreen]

Thank you Dypsisdean very much appreciated.

Here's a photo, and a link to a little info and more photos http://www.palmpedia...uterpe_oleracea

[amazondk]

I believe the dwarf E. olearcea is the BRS Para cultivar developed by the Brazilian agricultural department, Embrapa in Belem, Para in eastern Amazonia. This variety fruits in 3 years from planting and has superior fruits. I do not know that it really is a dwarf though. It probably grows to about the same height as other E. olearceas. It seems like a dwarf since it fruits at a smaller size. Check this palmtalk thread out where I posted some pictures of a plantation that I think was with this variety growing in southern Amazonas state a few years ago. Açai Plantation .The picture that Dean posted is one I took in an area in town in Manaus a few years ago. I do not believe that the E. olearceas there are this variety. As can note they are growing alongside E. precatorias.

dk

[exoticgreen]

Dk Thank for for the information and link. That was exactly what I was looking for.The palms look similar to A,Alexandrae when growing I will send you a PM.

I believe the dwarf E. olearcea is the BRS Para cultivar developed by the Brazilian agricultural department, Embrapa in Belem, Para in eastern Amazonia. This variety fruits in 3 years from planting and has superior fruits. I do not know that it really is a dwarf though. It probably grows to about the same height as other E. olearceas. It seems like a dwarf since it fruits at a smaller size. Check this palmtalk thread out where I posted some pictures of a plantation that I think was with this variety growing in southern Amazonas state a few years ago. Açai Plantation .The picture that Dean posted is one I took in an area in town in Manaus a few years ago. I do not believe that the E. olearceas there are this variety. As can note they are growing alongside E. precatorias.

dk

[aussiearoids]

My para Dwf seedling was lifted jnto the air on the rootball of a blown over pioneer tree ,

Now re-planted and thriving , cannot see it fruiting in another year , and its a few years old now and approx 1m .

I would like to plant a lot more if they will fruit so fast .

[exoticgreen]

Hi Aussiearoids Thanks for your reply. Nice to see your palm survived.I would be grateful to get a picture of it. I have about 400 seedlings on the go, they are between 3 to 15 cm tall. I am looking to plant as many as I can.

[Dypsisdean]

Sorry for any confusion. I wasn't aware if the "dwarf" really was considered a distinctly different variation/form.

[brodklop]

ExoticGreen I had to check where Gooburrum QLD is. So its basicaly Bundaberg. I tried E. olearcea here in Brisbane but this year it succumbed to our colder than average winter this year. You may be far enough Nth for these to grow OK. They are a tropical palm.

Best of luck.

Cheers

Brod

[exoticgreen]

Thanks for the reply Brod.

It will be interesting to see how they go here, the seedlings are going ok, so far. I had about a 50% germination rate on the seeds.

I have decided to plant two seedlings in a protected area, to see how they go in the open air. It is early to plant them y, but as I am on a learning curve and experimenting, I want to know what conditions they will grow under.

Thanks again for the feedback.

ExoticGreen I had to check where Gooburrum QLD is. So its basicaly Bundaberg. I tried E. olearcea here in Brisbane but this year it succumbed to our colder than average winter this year. You may be far enough Nth for these to grow OK. They are a tropical palm.

Best of luck.

Cheers

Brod

[amazondk]

There is also a green fruit variety of E. olearcea. I believe the tree looks the same though.

dk

[aussiearoids]

How are the plants growing now Exotic Green ?

[PalmnutVN]

Here is mine that I grew from seed. It's about three years in now, but it is pot grown.

It would probably have been a lot bigger if I had plonked it into the ground.

[fiji jim]

Hi All,

I really like this palm and found them to be an attractive, neat, fast growing palm in our climate.

The group pictured here will be 6 years of age in June.

They are just now ripening their first fruits.

Overall height would be near to 20 feet or 7 meters.

Jim

[fiji jim]

Now I would like to find out how the juice can be made without distroying the seed.

[fiji jim]

With two more flowerings on another stem.

[amazondk]

Jim,

The seeds should not be impacted by separting the pulp. What they use here is a sort of a slow blender that beats the fruit removing the pulp from the seed. It comes off in a pasty form. You need to soak the fruit in warm, not real hot water for a about 30 minutes to soften it up first. You can do the same thing with a large mortar and pestle. Like the ones they use to separate rice husks from the whole rice. After you separate the pulp you beat it with water to thin it. I posted a thread about this a few years ago which you may be able to find.

Here is a simple way to do it -

[amazondk]

Jim,

Here is a video of the normal way the pulp and drink is made around here.

[aussiearoids]

Fiji Jim , are yours the Para dwarf type ?

They seem to be a bit shaded .

So much info states they will bear in 3 years .

And this gets repeated and repeated .

Don mentions 3 years from planting out .

I lost many seedlings by introducing to to much bright light to early .

[fiji jim]

Thanks for that info Don.

I will try that.

Michael, the seed were supplied by RPS and labelled as Euterpe
oleracea Para Dwarf plantation hybrid species. They are much faster growing
than the regular E.oleracea.

Mine are planted with full midday sun exposure but receive
morning shade and some late-afternoon shade as well.

I also have some the same age in 20 litre bags in all day
filtered light in the nursery and they are 3 meters plus tall but not
flowering. Perhaps if they are ground planted earlier they may have fruited
earlier. But this is definitely their first flowering and they are close to
being 6 years old.

All my Euterpe spp like it better with some shade. The
E.oleracea x E.edulis F2 hybrid are fruiting now and only 4 years old and
planted under raintrees.

Does anyone know if their fruits are as highly regarded as

the Para dwarf?

Don may know about this?

Thanks, Jim

[amazondk]

Jim,

The BRS Para as it is known here was developed by Emprapa Amazonia Oriental. Emprapa is a federal agricultural agency in Brazil. They collected seeds from Euterpes around the area of eastern amazonia where the trees are native selecting trees producing large fruits with small seeds, hence more pulp. And, also with quicker development periods unitl producing fruits. The result was this hybred. Here in Manaus there is a preference for drink made from Euterpe precatoria. There is a taste difference. But, nothing major. As far as the E olearcea x E edulis that is a good question. The major pulp producing area in Brazil is on the equator which would not favor the characteristics of the E. edulis.

dk

[amazondk]

Fiji Jim , are yours the Para dwarf type ?

They seem to be a bit shaded .

So much info states they will bear in 3 years .

And this gets repeated and repeated .

Don mentions 3 years from planting out .

I lost many seedlings by introducing to to much bright light to early .

Michael,

I think that it is 3 years from seed.

dk

[aussiearoids]

Thanks very much Jim & Don .

Growth in equatorial areas would be heaps faster I imagine .

Feel sorry for people expecting fruit in 3 years in sub-tropics .

[fiji jim]

True Michael,

Also all the hype about this hybrid producing a thicker pulp does not ring
true at my latitude.

I would need 100's of seed to make one drink of the juice as they have an
extremely thin fruit covering the seed.

Looks like no more than a skin.

It seems that many of the tropical plants that produce well within 5 degrees
of the equator do not perform the same a few more miles distant.

They tried the oil palm here and it did not produce a large enough yield to
be commercially viable. (That is good). It is reported that its range of good
production only occurs within 8 degrees either side of zero.

Is anyone else growing these?

Jim

[amazondk]

Jim,

The fruit does not have much pulp here as well. Maybe more. But, they do not have much. It takes a lot of fruit to make the drink. The trees produce a lot of fruit so it works. The soaking in warm water loosens up the pulp to be processed.

dk

[fiji jim]

Thanks Don,

That is a bit contrary to some of the BS on the internet promos.

I will feed these more and try to produce more seeding as only one stem of the 3 palms
are producing so far.

Jim

[amazondk]

Jim,

For the E. olearcea theh recommendation is to limit the number of stems to 4 per clump. That way each stem produces more fruit. And, in a plantation setting to have the clumps spaced at 4 meters.

dk

[tropicbreeze]

True Michael,

Also all the hype about this hybrid producing a thicker pulp does not ring

true at my latitude.

I would need 100's of seed to make one drink of the juice as they have an

extremely thin fruit covering the seed.

Looks like no more than a skin.

It seems that many of the tropical plants that produce well within 5 degrees

of the equator do not perform the same a few more miles distant.

They tried the oil palm here and it did not produce a large enough yield to

be commercially viable. (That is good). It is reported that its range of good

production only occurs within 8 degrees either side of zero.

Is anyone else growing these?

Jim

I have a few Oil Palms growing at 12 degrees off the equator. They don't produce a lot of seed, just enough to be a nuisance having to pull seedlings out all the time. I've also heard that up to 8 degrees off the equator is best for heavy fruiting.

[thomsonnico@hotmail.com]

On 3/10/2013 at 4:57 AM, fiji jim said:

Hi All,

I really like this palm and found them to be an attractive, neat, fast growing palm in our climate.

The group pictured here will be 6 years of age in June.

They are just now ripening their first fruits.

Overall height would be near to 20 feet or 7 meters.

Jim

Hi Jim. How tall are your para dwarfs now?

 

Nic