BuJubaea - The Way to Pack a Palm

[Scott W]

Just another update on this one...

Seeds produced last year are just starting to germinate!  Super excited to see how these develop!

It is also flowering again, this time with 5 spathes, with the first one just opening yesterday.  Close inspection has revealed many flowers with 8 stamens, which confirms Jubaea lineage.  I'm going to let this self this year and go from there.

[Banana Belt]

22 hours ago, Scott W said:

Just another update on this one...

Seeds produced last year are just starting to germinate!  Super excited to see how these develop!

It is also flowering again, this time with 5 spathes, with the first one just opening yesterday.  Close inspection has revealed many flowers with 8 stamens, which confirms Jubaea lineage.  I'm going to let this self this year and go from there.

I am surprised this Butia is flowering even before it has a trunk, I suppose climate has everything to do with it.  My neighbor has a 43 year old Butia with trunk and it flowered for the first time last year.  Unfortunately for the Butia it was planted too close to a CIDP which is now shading it.  Pictured in forground.

[Scott W]

6 hours ago, Banana Belt said:

I am surprised this Butia is flowering even before it has a trunk, I suppose climate has everything to do with it.  My neighbor has a 43 year old Butia with trunk and it flowered for the first time last year.  Unfortunately for the Butia it was planted too close to a CIDP which is now shading it.  Pictured in forground.

I'd have to agree about climate being the issue.  I have three pure Butia that have all flowered with little to no trunk, the largest in my front yard producing 6 spathes this year in it's third year of flowering.

This one had flowered but hasn't since I transplanted it two years ago.  Was really hoping to see it flower this year.

[Chester B]

Yeah it has to do with the lack of heat in Brookings.  Mine was flowering in Oregon for years and started without having any real trunk.  Here it is 3 years after planting in 2019.  Overall height is probably about 7 feet tall.

[Banana Belt]

@Scott W @Chester B  Next to south side of my home I planted this Sygrus 40+ years ago.  It has a 8 foot trunk but it has never flowered.  In town not far from me there is a 60 year old Sygrus about 16 feet tall trunk and as far as I know it too has never flowered.  In the Brookings area there are 3 Cocos palms growing Butia, Sygrus and Jubaea, only the Butia and Jubaea seem to flower the Sygrus don't seem to do so.  Also the Sygrus is pretty slow growing in our cool climate area, which is different from warmer climates.

[Scott W]

32 minutes ago, Banana Belt said:

@Scott W @Chester B  Next to south side of my home I planted this Sygrus 40+ years ago.  It has a 8 foot trunk but it has never flowered.  In town not far from me there is a 60 year old Sygrus about 16 feet tall trunk and as far as I know it too has never flowered.  In the Brookings area there are 3 Cocos palms growing Butia, Sygrus and Jubaea, only the Butia and Jubaea seem to flower the Sygrus don't seem to do so.  Also the Sygrus is pretty slow growing in our cool climate area, which is different from warmer climates.

Gorgeous tree, and yeah, definitely climate.  This Silver queen is 9 years from seed...she's a beast!  Hasn't flowered yet but I pray she does in the next few years so I can use her in my mule crosses.

Tiki is 3 feet for scale.