Parajubaea cocoides, the mountain coconut, coco Cumbe or Quito palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It occurs in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
Palms up to 16 m tall, trunk up to 45 cm in diameter. Leaves 3âÂÂ4 m long, dark green above, grayish green beneath, with 60-70 pairs of segments or pinnae, the longest pinnae in the middle up to 70 cm long. Inflorescence 1âÂÂ2 m long, with 50-70 short branches. Fruit ellipsoid, 4-5.5 cm long, 2.8âÂÂ4 cm in diameter, greenish brown.
Known only from cultivation in the Andean valleys of southern Colombia and Ecuador at elevations of 2000âÂÂ3000 m. However, an alleged natural population was reported in a town in northern Peru at 1900 m.
Parajubaea cocoides is cultivated as an ornamental palm for parks and avenues. Outside its area of origin, it is found in cultivation in San Francisco, Sydney, Costa del Sol, New Zealand.The seeds are edible and taste like coconut.