Palm Trees - Butia capitata

Butia capitata

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Butia capitata at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, England - July 2007


General Information
Family:
Arecaceae
Common Names:
Jelly Palm
Pindo Palm
Wine Palm
Synonyms:
Calappa capitata
Cocos capitata
Syagrus capitata
Distribution:
Brazil
To Uruguay
Habitat:
Deciduous Forest
Savannah
Conservation Status:
Habitat Threats:

Native Uses:
Food Source
Commercial Uses:

Physical Characteristics
Height:
Up to 6m (20ft)
Spread:
Up to 5m (16ft)
Growth Habit:
Solitary
Growth Rate:
Medium
Trunk Type:
No Crownshaft
Light Brown
Persistent Leaf Bases
Trunk Diameter:
Up to 450mm (18")
Leaf Type:
Pinnate
Leaf Size:
Up to 3m (10ft)
Leaf Colour:
Green
Blue
Petiole:
Up to 1800mm (72")
Armed
Self Cleaning:
Yes
Inflorescence Colour:
Yellow, Orange
Reproduction:
Monoecious
Fruit Description:
Up to 25mm (1")
Round, Sweet Edible Pulp
Fruit Colour:
Yellow To Dark Orange

Cultural Requirements
Light:
Full Sun
Soil:
Moist
Well Draining
Watering:
Regular
Allow To Dry
Min. Temp:
-10°C (14°F)
Tolerances:
Drought
Frost
Heat
Pot Culture
Propagation:
Seed
Germination:
1-6 Months
30-35°C ( 86-95°F)
Planting:
Single
Small Groups
Uses:
Feature
Ornamental
Potted (When Smaller)
Specimen
Xeriscaping
Availability:
Good (Particularly Temperate Areas)
Box Stores
Garden Centres
Nurseries

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.