I have these two Butias growing on the west side of my garden lot. I bought the B. purpurascens as a 1g from a dealer in Cali that has since ceased online sales. He was the only source I could find for this rare palm. I've tried germinating Butia seeds with zero success, so I stopped trying. This little guy is unarmed, with mint green foliage and a delicate appearance (for a Butia). I fretted over it for over a year before it decided it liked its new home. It is one of the smaller (not dwarf) Butias.

 

Butia odorata (strictor?) - I received this palm as a seedling all the way from the UK. The sender sent me germinated seeds of B. odorata strictor blue & green. I planted one of each in my garden lot but lost track which was which. One of them has since died. The survivor, to my failing eyes, does not exhibit strictor traits. It looks like a standard B.o. but I like it anyway. Whether it is "blue" or "green" is up to the beholder, I guess.

To germinate butia seed, I clean them & let them dry out for a month. Then soak the seed in water for a week, plant them & leave them be... I rarely germinate butia anymore as I can walk the neighborhood & pull seedlings from the boots of the parent palm.

On 8/25/2016 at 5:33 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

I have these two Butias growing on the west side of my garden lot. I bought the B. purpurascens as a 1g from a dealer in Cali that has since ceased online sales. He was the only source I could find for this rare palm. I've tried germinating Butia seeds with zero success, so I stopped trying. This little guy is unarmed, with mint green foliage and a delicate appearance (for a Butia). I fretted over it for over a year before it decided it liked its new home. It is one of the smaller (not dwarf) Butias.

 

Butia odorata (strictor?) - I received this palm as a seedling all the way from the UK. The sender sent me germinated seeds of B. odorata strictor blue & green. I planted one of each in my garden lot but lost track which was which. One of them has since died. The survivor, to my failing eyes, does not exhibit strictor traits. It looks like a standard B.o. but I like it anyway. Whether it is "blue" or "green" is up to the beholder, I guess.

Bump: How are they doing. Specifically the purple Yatay butia?

The odorata declined and died since that last photo.

Consensus on PT is that my so-called purpurascens is probably Butia yatay. It went on to develop spines, which no purpurascens has. But it has grown to be a very lovely Butia with mint green foliage. It has not flowered.

Butia yatay ?, Cape Coral, FL, 2021