Brahea edulis

Brahea edulis

The Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis H.Wendl. ex S.Watson, 1876) is an arborescent species belonging to the Arecaceae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Subkingdom Tracheobionta,
Spermatophyta superdivision,
Magnoliophyta division,
Class Liliopsida,
Arecales Order,
Arecaceae family,
Subfamily Coryphoideae,
Tribe Livistoneae,
Genus Brahea,
B. edulis species.
The term is synonymous:
– Brahea edulis H.Wendl..

Etymology –
The term Brahea is dedicated to the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
The specific edulis epithet comes from édo to eat: edible, in reference to the seeds considered edible.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
The Brahea edulis is an endemic palm of the island of Guadalupe, in Mexico, found in a monospecific grove of about 20 hectares in an area between 400 and 1,000 meters above sea level at the northern end of the island.
The entire native population is composed of secular trees with little repopulation in the last 150 years present in a habitat characterized by steep and rocky slopes of volcanic origin, in the misty northwest side of the island.
Until recently, Guadalupe Island supported a large population of goats (estimated at 100,000 in 1870 and 5,000 in 2000). The presence of these goats has prevented the regrowth of local trees including B. edulis, and consequently the ecosystem has been drastically altered: the once verdant island has turned into an almost dry rock, with weeds that have replaced the former forests. Below 800–900 m asl, the palm is essentially the only remaining tree, occurring in a large subpopulation and in scattered groups in sheltered locations. Above, was a band of mixed woodland where the palm was accompanied by a few other trees. This habitat has now all but disappeared due to other trees being pushed back into the higher regions.

Description –
Brahea edulis is a monoecious, arborescent plant with a woody stem (although without secondary growth) which grows between 4.5 and 13 m in height.
It has a crown up to 4 m wide and is made up of 20/30 circular leaves, divided by a third of the length and largely palmate, very coriaceous, dark green or medium green in colour. The leaves are up to 1 m long, carried by yellow-green petioles with the edges armed by small spines, up to 1 m long. The leaves measure up to 3.5 m in diameter.
The inflorescences on two orders, up to 1,2 m long, shorter than the leaves and hardly visible through the crown. The male and female flowers are yellow.
The fruits are showy, rounded in shape, initially olive-green in color and then becoming golden and black when ripe, from 2.5 to about 4 cm in diameter; they are edible.

Cultivation –
Brahea edulis is a slow growing single stemmed evergreen palm that is harvested from the wild and used locally for food.
In its native range, although the island has little rainfall, about 133 mm per year, the effect of fog and topography produces an environment similar to the lomas of South America.
The plant is widely grown as an ornamental.
It is a plant of subtropical to tropical zones. The plants grow best in areas with less rainfall and are quite tolerant of frost.
They are plants that are tolerant of even brackish winds.
These palms have deeply penetrating root systems and are generally best established when planted young. However, older plants are substantially more cold hardy than young plants.
In areas at the limit of their cold tolerance, therefore, it is prudent to grow the plants in containers for a few years, giving them winter protection, and only plant them in their permanent locations when the size warrants it.
Furthermore, these palms can be transplanted even when they are very large. Although the thick fleshy roots are easily damaged and/or dried out, new roots are usually produced freely. It’s important to stake the plant very firmly to prevent it from breaking, and also to give it plenty of water until it re-establishes itself; even the removal of many leaves can help in the transplanting phase.
However, it is a well-known palm in cultivation due to its great adaptability to different climates and environments and for its robustness.
It grows well in all types of soil, even those poor in terms of nutrients, provided they are well draining. Once settled in its final position it tolerates drought well. It always requires exposure in full sun and deteriorates if placed in shady positions. Seen the area of origin, it bears atmospheric humidity better than the congener and equally known Brahea armata, and is very resistant to winds and marine aerosol.
It can be cultivated in various climatic zones, from the tropics to the temperate zones where it can bear freezings up to -7 °C, if kept in full sun.
This palm normally propagates by seed which, if taken as soon as ripe, takes 3 to 4 months to germinate, placed at 25 °C. After maturation, germination becomes slower and it is necessary to immerse the seeds in hot water for 24 hours in order to accelerate germination. The seed produces a long taproot before the leaves, so it must be planted in deep pots or directly on the ground. The growth rate of seedlings is slow.

Customs and Traditions –
Brahea edulis is a palm known by the common names of: Guadalupe Palm (English), Palma de Guadalupe (Spanish).
It is a plant which, although endangered in nature, is cultivated, especially in California for ornamental use.
The locals consume the fruits of this palm which are also sold fresh or used for conservation.
In the past, especially the young apical bud was consumed from the palm, cooked and used as a vegetable. However taking this shoot kills the tree as it is unable to produce lateral shoots.
Currently, this palm is classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), despite the large number of specimens cultivated all over the world, due to the decrease in the original population. At the beginning of the 1800s, the importation of goats by the settlers on the island of Guadalupe resulted in the difficulty of multiplying this species due to the continuous withdrawal of young seedlings over the years.
This phenomenon has also affected all the other tree species of the original flora of Guadalupe, such as the Guadalupe cypress (Cupressus guadelupensis), and has modified the original environment of the island from the initial widespread forests to the current rocky hills. Since the end of the 1900s, a project to eradicate wild goats has been implemented, but this project was only completed in 2005. Consequently, it is hoped that both the Brahea edulis and the other tree species of the island will resume colonizing the abandoned areas.
The species had probably been declining slowly since the mid-19th century. However, the rate may also have broadened as late as the mid-20th century; part of this range was shared with other trees as noted above; especially pine, which is a massive species that presumably grew on many sites now occupied by palm. In addition, a forest of Guadalupe cypress and California juniper shrubs existed in the palm’s current range; the cypress forest was eventually destroyed by goats and juniper is completely absent from the island today.
After the protection and fencing and removal of the goats, a few hundred Guadalupe palms remain on their island today. Since regrowth was presumably hampered by goats eating the saplings rather than the trees becoming all old and barren, it is likely that the palm will eventually recover. That it was better able to resist the hordes of goats than all the tree species of Guadalupe is evidenced by its present distribution; the other trees, assuming they survive, are confined to the highest and least accessible areas. However, the species remains dangerously rare and the IUCN, as mentioned, considers it endangered (EN C1).

Method of Preparation –
The Brahea edulis is a palm that in ancient times populated the island of Guadalupe more abundantly, of which it is endemic, and of which the local populations used various parts, such as the leaves, or fed on the fruits and young apical shoots .
Of the fruits we eat the pulp, which is sweet; these are still consumed by the local population who generally consume the palm fruits fresh or use them to make preserves.
Even the young apical bud is eaten both cooked and fresh in salads.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://ilgustodellanatura-blog.blogspot.com/2020/02/palme-come-riconoscere-le-diverse.html

Attention: The pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; we therefore decline all responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.