Syagrus costae

Description

Syagrus x costae (coco-babo) is a species endemic to the state of Pernambuco, thriving in the tablelands 250km west of Recife, around the city of Garanhuns (600m elevation). The species is a nice looking natural fertile hybrid between S. cearensis and S. coronata, has large edible fruits 3cm diameter, and the seeds are rather difficult to germinate. Probably cold hardy and drought tolerant. In the natural habitat they reach 8 to 10°C in the winter and the average precipitation there is less than 800mm, and not so regularly distributed, some years it hardly rains there at all. It is common in semi-arid parts of my state, but seldom seen near our humid coast (Atlantic forest) or in Recife, and never employed in landscape here.