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Butia ID


aegean

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I have three Butias growing here for some years.

The two taller ones were labeled as Chamaerops humilis when I bought them about 10 years ago in a garden center. I think these are Butia odorata.

In terms of the smaller one, I am not so sure. My guess is Butia eriospatha. It wasn't labeled, when I bought it 4 years ago in a DIY store. It has much softer fronds, the color is more pure green compared to the blue/gray green of the odoratas and it started pushing it's first flower stalks very early as a small palm, but so far never produced any flowers or seeds. The flower stalks are much thinner than the odorata's.

 

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The petioles have a hint of purple to them, the leaves are otherwise very green. They also have a lot of hair wrapped loosely around the crown, more than any other species. 
I just don’t see them as a rather uncommon Brazil palm ever making its way into a DIY store here in the USA, but Europe maybe? They became available about 15 years ago, but since then I am not sure. 

Edited by Collectorpalms
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39 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

The petioles have a hint of purple to them, the leaves are otherwise very green. They also have a lot of hair wrapped loosely around the crown, more than any other species. 
I just don’t see them as a rather uncommon Brazil palm ever making its way into a DIY store here in the USA, but Europe maybe? They became available about 15 years ago, but since then I am not sure. 

I made two more photos of the petioles (1st is the unknown Butia, 2nd is the odorata). I don't see any purple there. There is more hair and maybe some purple at the assumed B. odoratas (2nd photo). Any other idea ? All survived 12 Fahrenheit 4 years ago without any leaf burn. Both odoratas had some degree of spear rot that grew out. The unknown Butia remained completely unscathed, but had been protected with a plastic sheet canopy.

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I don’t think by looking at them you can really tell. Once the unknown one flowers then you should have a good idea. Eriospatha is known as the wooly Butia because its flower spathes will have a thick furry coating while odorata’s are smooth. 
 

I have both species (supposedly) and I can say they look the same to my eye. The one I bought as eriospatha was grown locally from seed but is still to small to flower. I would think another couple years and I’ll be able to confirm what it is. 
 

I have read many times that most Butias in cultivation are hybrids of varying degrees so that may also account for the visual differences. 

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  • 3 months later...

Keep in mind there is some natural variation.  I have three odorata.  They all look a bit different from each other.  

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3 hours ago, Fallen Munk said:

Keep in mind there is some natural variation.  I have three odorata.  They all look a bit different from each other.  

So true.  I've seen pics of them in habitat with yellow flowers next to trees with red flowers!  I've seen odorata with yellow ripe fruit, orange ripe fruit and reddish fruit.  And that's not even counting variation in the fronds.  @Laaz posted a thread of the Butias in his neighborhood in Charleston with a bunch of different Butias.

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Jon Sunder

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