Palm Trees - Attalea butyracea

Attalea butyracea

Click thumbnails to view fullsize image.

Attalea butyracea at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, England - July 2006






General Information
Family:
Arecaceae
Common Names:
American Oil Palm
Synonyms:
Attalea pycnocarpa
Cocos butyracea
Scheelea butyracea
Distribution:
South Venezuela
To West South America
Habitat:
Seasonally Wet Grassland
Open Forest
Conservation Status:
Habitat Threats:

Native Uses:
Food Source
Thatching
Commercial Uses:

Physical Characteristics
Height:
Up to 15m (48ft)
Spread:
Up to 12m (40ft)
Growth Habit:
Solitary
Growth Rate:
Medium
Trunk Type:
No Crownshaft
Brown Persistent Leaf Bases
Trunk Diameter:
Up to 600mm (24")
Leaf Type:
Pinnate
Leaf Size:
Up to 9m (30ft)
Leaf Colour:
Dark Green
Petiole:
Self Cleaning:
No
Inflorescence Colour:
White, Pale Yellow
Reproduction:
Monoecious
Fruit Description:
Up to 85mm (3.3")
Ovoid
Fruit Colour:
Green Ripens To Yellow

Cultural Requirements
Light:
Full Sun
Soil:
Moist
Well Draining
Watering:
Regular
Maintain Moisture
Min. Temp:
-4°C (25°F)
Tolerances:
Drought (Not Extended)
Poor Drainage
Poor Soils
Propagation:
Seed
Germination:
1-6 Months
28-32°C ( 82-90°F)
Planting:
Single
Open Areas
Uses:
Specimen
Availability:
Specialist Nurseries
Seed Distributors

References: IUCN 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 14 December 2004.
Kew World Checklist Of Selected Plant Families. <www.kew.org/wcsp/home.do>
Maas, P. J. M. & H. Maas-van de Kamer. Costaceae. Pp. 413-423 in, B. E. Hammel, M. H. Grayum, C. Herrera, & N. Zamora (eds.), Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica. vol. II. Gimnospermas y monocotiledóneas (Agavaceae- Musaceae). Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 92: 1-694.
Noblick, L.R. Ph.D., 1998. Hardiness Observations In Palm Species. <www.bg-map.com/PLMTBLA.HTML>
Riffle,R.L. & Craft,P. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms.