Edible fruits on the hemp palm: What you need to know

Edible fruits on the hemp palm: What you need to know
Edible fruits on the hemp palm: What you need to know
Anonim

Hemp palms naturally bear fruit that is edible and even tastes quite good. In order to develop fruit, the hemp palm must already be an adult, as young palms do not flower. When caring for fan palms in our latitudes, fruits that you can harvest rarely develop.

Eating hemp palm berries
Eating hemp palm berries

Are the fruits of a hemp palm edible?

Are hemp palm fruits edible? Yes, the fruits of the hemp palm are edible and taste sweet. However, they are very small, have a large core and offer little pulp. Hemp palms must be mature and both male and female plants must be present to produce fruit.

Only adult hemp palms bear fruit

In order for a hemp palm to bear fruit, it must first bloom and the flowers must be pollinated. However, a hemp palm only blooms when it is several years old and therefore adult.

If you only care for a hemp palm indoors, it will only rarely bloom. You'll have a little better luck if you grow the hardy hemp palm outdoors all year round.

Female and male hemp palms necessary

In order for the flowers of a hemp palm to be fertilized, you need at least one female and one male plant. Hemp palms are dioecious. You can tell which gender your hemp palm is by looking at its flowers. They differ in color. However, it is not easy for laypeople to determine gender.

In the best case scenario, pollination is carried out by insects. However, you often have to take care of the fertilization yourself. To do this, first stroke the male flowers and then the female flowers with a brush.

This is what the edible hemp palm fruits taste like

Hemp palm fruits taste quite sweet and are full of flesh when you harvest and eat them fresh from the tree. They initially have a green color, which turns dark purple when fully ripe. Their shape is slightly rounded and resembles a kidney. The peel of the fresh fruit is still thin and can be easily removed.

However, they are very small and have a large core, so it is not worth growing hemp palms just for the edible fruits.

The average size of a fruit is 13 millimeters long and 9 millimeters high and wide. The core is only slightly smaller, so there is little pulp left to eat.

Tip

If you are lucky enough that your hemp palm bears fruit, you can use it to grow new hemp palms. Seeds develop in the fruits that you can sow.