One thing to be wary of larger palms of this species is that many unscrupulous dealers on ebay upsize the pot and when you go to pot it you find that only 20% of the soil has roots. Ask me how I know! My ebay palm was bought this late summer on ebay and after the damage due to being shipped in a pot that was way too big, it lost its spear and I ma unsure whether it will recover given that it is being overwinterd for the next two months in a house that won't get over 70F for that duration. the other remaining leaves are still very healthy. Anybody know my chances of recovering from this? Be very wary of ebay palms of this species. If I had to do it again I would have bought a seedling. The one I bought is just entering the palmate stage of youth.

Jubaea is a beautiful palm! Understand that they live 500+ years and so, they're slow growing. For that reason, serious enthusiasts go for "mule palms". The hybrids require pollination by hand and for that reason, are scarce and expensive. You could check with www.hybridpalms.com and see if he has any. He may only have Butiagrus.

Hey tito, we would like to see your palm. Here are some simple instructions on how to post your picture: 1. upload your pictures to photobucket.com or any other photo site. 2. use this html code <_img src="<b>You%20paste%20the%20URL%20of%20the%20image%20here.%20If%20you%20are%20using%20photobucket,%20it%20is%20called%20the%20direct%20link%20and%20it%20starts%20with%20http://www.photobucket.....</b>" _> please note that the underscores ( _ ) are actually not supposed to be there. It should go together. I just used underscores so that a red X wouldn't show up. The only space you need to use is the one between img and src

I think it would be interesting to see how it fares in your climate! I have a 4 year old seedling that I planted outside in December 2007. It's been in its location for 3 years now and it is painfully slow! It is now bulging at the base, but it has yet to grow it's split leaves (all strap leaves until now). Also, it's interesting to note that it is only actively growing during our cool seasons (fall, winter), then slows down in the spring, and is completely inactive during the summer. I have read a report of this palm from a friend in Florida, and they said the palm is not tolerant of humidity at all. They mentioned the palm developing rot holes in the trunk, and a diminishing crown of fronds... a slow death to the palm. Here's a description of the palm from Fairchild Botanical Garden in Miami: "Jubaea chilensis is a slow growing, massive palm from savannas of Chile. It is a spectacular ornamental for cool Mediterranean climates. It grows well in the gardens of Europe and Southern California but lacks vigor in the heat and humidity of South Florida."