Opinions on Butia

[Gville Palms]

First of all, I know there have been many different threads on identifying Butia varieties and I have gone through many of them (all that I can find) but they have not really brought me any closer to an answer regarding a question I have about a Butia that I own. I bought this three years ago as a three gallon from either a Home Depot or a Lowe’s as just a cheapo plant for my side yard - it was maybe 25 bucks but looked nice. It was of course labeled as a pindo palm (Butia Capitata). 
 

Anyways, it grows and looks nothing like the other butias that I have. Within a matter of a couple years it has easily tripled in size, the trunk seems to be much more narrow than my other butias, the rachises rotate in a way that causes the leaflets to look droopy although they do not feel droopy like a queen palm. It’s just weird compared to others. Any idea what it is or what is going on? Different variety of Butia? Hybrid? Mineral deficiency (although it looks really healthy and grows like a weed)? I am just curious to hear thoughts. 

[Fusca]

41 minutes ago, Gville Palms said:

First of all, I know there have been many different threads on identifying Butia varieties and I have gone through many of them (all that I can find) but they have not really brought me any closer to an answer regarding a question I have about a Butia that I own. I bought this three years ago as a three gallon from either a Home Depot or a Lowe’s as just a cheapo plant for my side yard - it was maybe 25 bucks but looked nice. It was of course labeled as a pindo palm (Butia Capitata). 
 

Anyways, it grows and looks nothing like the other butias that I have. Within a matter of a couple years it has easily tripled in size, the trunk seems to be much more narrow than my other butias, the rachises rotate in a way that causes the leaflets to look droopy although they do not feel droopy like a queen palm. It’s just weird compared to others. Any idea what it is or what is going on? Different variety of Butia? Hybrid? Mineral deficiency (although it looks really healthy and grows like a weed)? I am just curious to hear thoughts. 

It's probably not a hybrid - they're just quite variable.  I have one that grows unusually fast also.  Some are quite green, some quite silver and some (like mine) are a bluish grey.  Some produce yellow fruits, some orange and some even reddish purple fruits.  Shade grown palms will also look differently than those in full sun.

From what I understand the vast majority of Butia sold here in Texas are Butia odorata and in Florida perhaps 50-50 chance of getting Butia odorata or caterinensis.  Seed shape/size is probably the best determining factor in species ID.  Some Butia flower when still relatively small (slightly larger than yours) and others delay.  Mine is about 3 times larger than yours and hasn't flowered yet.

[Merlyn]

That looks pretty normal to me too.  I have one in the front yard that has very twisty fronds, one in the backyard that are very straight but standard drooping arc...and another that's somewhere in between.  My favorite is the twisty one, though I'd like to find a "strictior" with very straight and vertical fronds.

[Gville Palms]

Thanks to both of you for your responses, it is very helpful. I like palms and have many varieties (22 the last time I counted but who knows now haha) but am by no means an expert or someone with extensive experience. @Merlyn do you have a picture of the twisty one so I can compare? I have had a difficult time finding one around town (and there’s a ton) that looks similar to this one. Maybe a couple but they’re so much larger that it is difficult to know exactly what I’m looking at. Below are a few more pictures of it from farther away. 

[Merlyn]

@Gville Palms here is my twistiest Butia, some of the fronds curve around almost to horizontal!

[Gville Palms]

37 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

@Gville Palms here is my twistiest Butia, some of the fronds curve around almost to horizontal!

Wow! What a pretty Butia. That certainly answers my question. Maybe I’m just not looking hard enough but I rarely see any with that sort of appearance. 

[Merlyn]

Yeah, a couple in my yard have a bit of twist.  That one came from a local nursery, I don't recall it looking unusual at the time.

[Harry’s Palms]

I have only one Butia and it is silver blue. It was labeled Bonetti but that doesn’t mean anything. It grows at the average speed it should which to me is fairly fast. The trunk is large and the crown is impressive. Yours will probably start picking up speed at that size . Harry

[Fusca]

@Harry’s Palms's Butia is beautiful!  Here's my largest two - first one from 2020 in San Antonio, quite twisty similar to @Merlyn's and second one is at my current property planted in 2020 from a 7-gal.

[Harry’s Palms]

The Butia is highly variable Palm and I think they all are nice as they grow. 

[Gville Palms]

2 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

The Butia is highly variable Palm and I think they all are nice as they grow. 

It seems as though they’re very under-appreciated (maybe I’m only speaking for myself with that comment). Depending on the specific Butia, I think they are one of the prettiest palm species. 

[Merlyn]

@Gville Palms I agree, that's why I have 7 in my yard, plus 4 Butia/Jubaea hybrids.  My early palm favorites were Sylvesters, Bottles, Foxtails and Pindos.  I'm a little too cold for Foxtails and Bottles/Spindles out in the open, and all the Sylvesters around here are dying.  So hopefully Pindos turn out to be highly resistant to LB.

[Scott W]

I, like @Merlyn, have several Butia and Butia hybrids in my collection (I think the count is 11 different).  My favorites are the dwarfs and I hope to expand this collection in the future, though getting seeds and germinating them can prove very difficult. 

Of these my favorite is this beast, a Butia jubaea hybrid, 8 years from a 3 gallon...it's pushing 12 feet overall height and not trunking yet!

[KsLouisiana]

On 4/9/2024 at 5:26 PM, Gville Palms said:

Thanks to both of you for your responses, it is very helpful. I like palms and have many varieties (22 the last time I counted but who knows now haha) but am by no means an expert or someone with extensive experience. @Merlyn do you have a picture of the twisty one so I can compare? I have had a difficult time finding one around town (and there’s a ton) that looks similar to this one. Maybe a couple but they’re so much larger that it is difficult to know exactly what I’m looking at. Below are a few more pictures of it from farther away. 

That's a beauty. I'm planting 2 more in my yard in shade. Hope they look like yours in a couple years. I really like your yard too with all the trees.

[KsLouisiana]

I planted this one probably 3 yes ago and it was probably half the height and little trunk