Brahea dulcis Mart.

A solitary evergreen palm tree. It grows to 6 m high and spreads to 2 m across. The stem is erect and slender. It can have one or several trunks. They can be thick or thin. The fronds are spread out like fingers on a hand. They are deeply divided into stiff segments and are fanlike. The leaves are covered with a mealy white powder at least when young. The leaf stalks have saw tooth edges. The fruiting talks are 2 m long and hang over. The flowers are very small. The fruit are yellow and oval. They are 1 cm long and juicy. They are edible. They contain one seed. The seed is oval and 1 cm long.

A tropical plant. It can grow in temperate and tropical regions. It does best in rich, sandy soils. It can grow in poor skeletal soils in rocky areas. It needs a protected, sunny position. It is drought resistant and frost tolerant. It grows in semi-arid places. It needs well drained soil. It grows in open woodland between 320 and 1760 m altitude in Central America. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

The fruit are eaten raw. They are also made into preserves. The tender part of the palm heart is boiled, roasted or eaten raw.

Plants are grown from seed. Seed grow easily. They take 3-6 months to germinate. Seed should be sown fresh after a good soaking.