Jubaea, The Palm of Chile and Easter Island? *

Dr. Juan GrauSecretary General ofthe Jnsititute ofEcology, Chile

IntroductionIn two different expeditions Heyerdahl and Ferdon (1961)

and John Flenley (1984) found outstanding amounts of palmtree pollen in the crater sediment of Rano Raraku and RanoKau, Easter Island. The microscopic analysis of this fossilpollen shows a great similarity to fresh pollen of Jubaeacbilensi, (Molina) BaiUon. Both measure about 40 x 20microns and have similar membrane structure (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Fossil pollen of Easter Island (top) compared tofour pollen grains of Jubaea cJJJlensis.

On the other hand, Dransfield (et a1., 1992) describedancient coconut endocarps that were found for the first time

11t~IIIU!t) d(1l~. CH11qr,1

rh' Ch,ll'

Figure 3. Similarity of Jubaea palm with rongorongo signs"nid' the Polynesian name for coconut tree.

by French speleologists in Ana 0 Keke; these are closelyrelated to those of Jubaea (Figure 2).

There are many other arguments given by BallO andFlenley (1992) but one that provides the most suggesti ve

Figure 2. Coconuts of Jubaea chilensis compared toendocarps found on Easter Island. A) fresh fro its; B)

Figure 4. Possible sea route for the dispersion of Jubaeaseeds via ocean currents (map after Finney 1994).

evidence is the similarity of the rongorongo sign "nid'(meaning palm tree) as compared to the shape of Jubaea(Figure 3).

Starting from this premise, we will try to support thehypothesis that Easter Island was populated with palm treesuntil the first part of the present millennium, and also we willtry to demonstrate the possibility of the dispersion of Chileanpalm seeds, carried along into the Pacific by the Humboldtand Equatorial Currents, from the palm groves of the CoastalRange of South America. We will first prove their floatabilityand then their vitality after four months in the ocean(Figure 4).

A

B

Rapa Nui Journal 37 Vol 10 (2) June 1996

TAXONOMIA DE LA PALMA CHILENA

Especie : Jubaea Cbilensis (Molina) BaillonJubaea Spectabilis (HBK)

Babita hasla el paraJelo 36 (Rhopalostylis sp. y Kentia sp. hasla el paraJelo 37 en N.Z.) S.Juba: deJuba Rey de limidia (52 AC-18 DC)Juba : en espanol Penacho (flift)118K =Humboll, Bonpland y Kunt11.

DivisionSubdivisionClaseSubclaseOrdenFamiliaTribuSubtribuGinero

: ESPERMOPHITA: MAGNOLIOPHITINA 0 ANGIOSPERMAS: Lll..,IATAS 0 MONOCOTll..,EDONEAE: ARECIDAE 0 SPADICIFLORAE: ARECALES 0 PRINCIPES: ARECACEAE 0 PALMAE (3400 especies):COCOEAE: BUTIINAE:JUBAEA

Range, and range from sea level to 2000 meters inaltitude (Figure 6).

Rocky soil is preferred by Jubaea. [n the north,Jubaea shares its habitat with two species of mountainrat: Abrocoma benettimuITayiand GrodOl1 degus. Bothspecies pierce the coconuts, break: the woody endocarp,and eat part ofthe endosperm. According to Universityof Chile studies, the actions of these rodents inducegermination of the embryo. Cattle often eat the maturefruit, dropping nuts into the soil. The process ofdigestion softens the endocarp and helps the seed togerminate.

As cattle are new elements in the natural history ofthe Jubaea palm, this function could ha ve beenassumed by the CameJidc1es (guanacos, llamas, etc.)and deer (cervus); these were abundant prior to thearri val of Europeans

Structure of the fruitThe fruit of the Jubaea is a drupe containing the

endocarp, woody endocarp, the endospenn cover witha membrane (testa) and tbe ndosperm containing theembryo. The juicy part of tbe fruit, tbe ectocarp, is soon eatenby rodents, insects, and fungus and is so destroyed. Thewoody endocarp retards, but does not prevent, the entering ofwater into the endosperm and embryo as was demonstratedby Lilian Infante and colleagues (1989), using fresh water.But no experiments were made using sea water which ishypertonic in relation to the liquid of tbe fruit.

Figure 5. Taxonomy of tbe Chilean palm (Juan Grau, Instituto deEcologia de Chile).

PrehistoryA) Fossil palm seeds and palm wood bave been found in theprovince of Rio Negro (Argentina) near the viJlage ofGeneral Roca; and it is possible to find fossils of smallcoconuts and also palm wood, probably from the Tertiary era.B) In Concepcion, Chile, Phillippi described a Tertiary fossilof small coconuts in association with sea shells (Tunitellasp.).

00

500

J,500

1.500

5,000

80,000

35,000

124,000

N°DEARBOLESAD LTO

DIST CIAAL RJO MASCERCANO

R. Aconcagua 2km

R. Aeon agua 4 km

R. Maipo 20 km

R. Pelorca 2 km

R. Choapa 4 km

R. Cachapoal 15 kmR. Rapel 25 km

TOTAL DE ARBOLES

47 km

34 km

DISTANCIAAL

OCEANOPACIFICO

32 km

LUGARPROVINCIA

REGION

Floating experiment of the Jubaea fruitWe performed our research with 500 fresh coconuts from

the same group of palms at Cocolin. One bundred of thesewere kept in a nylon net floating on the sea water of tbePacific Ocean at the Bay of Algarrobo (30 km soutb ofValparaiso) (Figure 7). Tbe rest of the coconuts were kept insea water in three different containers. After fow' montbs,about 20% of the coconuts in each group were still floating.

Victoria V Reg.

Parq. La CampanaV Reg.

Los Vilos IV Reg.

Figure 6. Actual geographical distribution of Jubaea.

NOMBRE

PEDEHUA

PALMAR DE OCOA

LIMAHUIDA TILAMA

4 PALMAR DE LLAY LLAY San Felipe V Reg. 60 km

5 PALM. AGUA SANTA EL Valparaiso V Reg. 5 kmSALTO

6 PALMERIAS LOS Melipilla R. Met. 65 kmGUrNDOS

7 PALMERES DE Las Cabras VI Reg. 80 kmCOCALAN

Taxonomy of the Chilean PalmHumboldt, Bonpland and Kunth .-- ---,

called tbis palm Jubaea spectabJlis,Molina and Baillon called it Jubaeachilensis (Figure 5).

HistoryTbe Cbilean palm appears in documents of the early Spanishcolony, which mention that the coconuts of Jubaea were usedas food by tbe natives. Many places in Chile have tbe place­name of Palma, or Las PaLmas and, since tbe 18th century,the palm was used for honey production.

Actual habitat of Jubaca chilcnsisIn Cbile from the IV Region (30° 2

Soutb parallel) to the VII Region(36°S. parallel); it is possible to 3

find groups of palms in their naturalenvironment. Planted In urbanplazas and parks, very oldspecimens grew in towns up to the40° S. parallel. In Valparaiso tbepalms grow very close to theseacoast and some eighty thousandpalms at Ocoa are 4 km from theAconcagua River. Most wild palmsshare their babitat with tbesclerophyll bush in the Coastal '------------------------------------1

Rapa Nui Journal 38 Vol 10 (2) June1996

]n order to find and explain the floating capacity of the fruit,we performed the following studies.A) Radiography

FIgure 7 100 coconuts floating tn the Pacific Ocean atAiganobo, Chile. The large objects are floats.

Some of the fruits were X-rayed, showing a layer of airbetween the testa of the endosperm and the woody endocarp10 the fresh and dry coconuts. Both floating and sunken fruitslost the air layer and it was not possible to find anotherradiological difference between them (Figure 8).B) Histologtcal Morphology**

In the pencarp, the soft part of the drupe, it is possible tofind tiny spaces of air called schizogenic, similar to thetissues of aquatic plants. In the woody endocarp it is possibleto observe the sclereid cells (stone cells) with a central airvacuole surrounded by lignite fibrotic material; thisparticularity is also common among aquatic plants (Figure 9).

0 • •'., 0\; 0"'-.

oFigure 8. Radiography of the Palm seeds showing an air

layer in three coconuts.

Test of Vitality ***Using the TFf test, Choride of 2, 3, 5, triphenyl

tetrazolium, it was possible to demonstrate the level of therespiratory acti ity of the embryos. The seeds immersed insea water showed a high percentage (90%) of tissue vitality

that was not only qualitative but quantitative, displaying highpigmentation of the endosperm and especially of the embryos(Figure J0).

Conclusion

Figure 9. Histology of the endocarp showing the esclerocidcells with a central air "acuole.

Figure 1O. Test of "TFT' showing the pigmentation of theembryos (except the one shown on far right).

In this preliminary paper, it is possible to firmly supportthe hypothesis that the seeds of Jubaea were transportednaturally by floating in the sea from Chile to Easter Island.The great amount of Jubaea palms on the Chilean coastbefore and during historic times permits us to accept thepossibility that thousands of seeds could reach the PacificOcean and migrate long distances, carried to the west by tbeHumboldt and Equatorial Cunents.

The comparison of the pollen and coconuts of Jubaea withthe pollen and endocarps found on Easter Island shows agreat similarity. The floatability of 20% of the seeds in seawater and the conservation of their vitality after four monthsencourages us to continue research in this line ofinvestigation.

Rapa Nui Journal 39 Vol 10 (2) June 1996

* A version of this paper was presented at the Rapa NuiRendezvous, University of Wyoming Laramie, 1993.** With assistance of Prof. Gloria Montenegro and Ana M.Mujica, Chair, Vegetal Morphotaxonomy, Dept. of Ecology,Catholic University of Santiago.*** With assistance of Prof. Juan Veloso and Luis Gonzalez,Chair of Vegetal Fisiology, Dept. Of Ecology (prof. MiguelJordan), Catholic University of Santiago.

This landscape could have been familiar in Easter Island1000 years ago.

Rapa NUl Journal 40

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