Butia microspadix

[Alberto]

One or two years ago i posted a question on what to do with about 60 little B.microspadix that were growing on a ´´ barranco´´(berm) where there was invasive non native grass , Pinus ellioti, Eucalyptus growing,etc, killing the butias. I asked what to do.

Some weeks ago I saw that the grass (Brachiaria sp) was taking over and totally covering the little palms.

One year ago I transplanted some succesfully,and now I now that I ´ll transplant ALL the microspadix to my property before it´s to late!!!

And transplanting them to a Estadual Park ,will bring that nocive Brachiaria seeds to that place....

Today I brought the first seven!

[Alberto]

A big rootball!!!

[Gileno Machado]

Good rescue Alberto.

How old do you think those palms are?

Are the old ones you have already flowering?

I'm getting more into Butias lately too...your eriospathas are doing great here so far.

Keep that camera busy and show us your whole Butia collection, come on...

[Nigel]

Wow Alberto, those are beautiful little palms, much bigger than the ones I saw there earlier this week.

Your garden is rapidly becoming a national treasure, I hope there is some way to preserve it after you are gone !!

If you run out of space for those little micros let me know

[Alberto]

Good rescue Alberto.

How old do you think those palms are?

Are the old ones you have already flowering?

I'm getting more into Butias lately too...your eriospathas are doing great here so far.

Keep that camera busy and show us your whole Butia collection, come on...

I think they are old,but how old...? The Butia microspadix had a difficukt time since there began to grow Brachiaria grass in the berm and it is gradually taking over the hole place. This grass is twice to 3 times the height of the other natural ´´campos´´ vegetation. The only place in the berm were the palms could grow somewhat was near the fence,were the herbicide spray (Glifosato) doesn´t let the grass grow.... It was clear that this last year the palms weren´t ´´lucky´´ to have received damps of gliphosate,because they were totally burried in 1meter to 1.5m high thick grass

Edited February 22, 2009 by Alberto

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

Alberto, that is really great that you have saved these palms. There needs to be more people concerned with saving them, like you are. I am sure you will give them the best of care. You said they were on a "berm". Was that a natural land formation or "man made"?

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Alberto, Kudos to you for saving the palms!

How about some pics of the planting at their new home?

Rusty

[Alberto]

They were growing on a ´´barranco´´,that is how we call the place were a sand road ´´cut´´through the lanscape letting 1 to 5 meters of native native vegetation at both the sides of the road,and with soya,corn, wheat plantations or pasture at both the sides of this strip of native vegetatin.

It are sometimes the only places were you can find native ´´campo´´ vegetation,but this places are sometimes invaded by allien plants and trees (eucs,al kind of grasses, like Brachiaria sp and the worsest:capim-elefante and pine trees)

[BS Man about Palms]

Great work Alberto!

[Nigel]

They were growing on a ´´barranco´´,that is how we call the place were a sand road ´´cut´´through the lanscape letting 1 to 5 meters of native native vegetation at both the sides of the road,and with soya,corn, wheat plantations or pasture at both the sides of this strip of native vegetatin.

It are sometimes the only places were you can find native ´´campo´´ vegetation,but this places are sometimes invaded by allien plants and trees (eucs,al kind of grasses, like Brachiaria sp and the worsest:capim-elefante and pine trees)

Alberto your Butia paraguayensis came from one of these barranco,s but there was very few left because they seem to bulldoze the barrancos to clean them and only underneath where an electricity pylon had been positioned could I find a handful of plants from the original population, because this ground was not bulldozed regularly.

[Alberto]

If you run out of space for those little micros let me know

I think that I´ll have some spare!

[Alberto]

Alberto, Kudos to you for saving the palms!

How about some pics of the planting at their new home?

Rusty

Here are they....

[Alberto]

Finished!

[Alberto]

From another angle:

[Alberto]

Seen from above the ´´berm´´

[Alberto]

Good rescue Alberto.

How old do you think those palms are?

Are the old ones you have already flowering?

I'm getting more into Butias lately too...your eriospathas are doing great here so far.

Keep that camera busy and show us your whole Butia collection, come on...

I doesn´t look,but some of this are old I think!

Gileno,all this dwarfs are flowering and setting seeds!

Glad to hear the eriospathas are doing fine! How are the Tahinas????

[Nigel]

Wow, Alberto, they look beautiful and perfect there in your garden.

[Gileno Machado]

Good rescue Alberto.

How old do you think those palms are?

Are the old ones you have already flowering?

I'm getting more into Butias lately too...your eriospathas are doing great here so far.

Keep that camera busy and show us your whole Butia collection, come on...

I doesn´t look,but some of this are old I think!

Gileno,all this dwarfs are flowering and setting seeds!

Glad to hear the eriospathas are doing fine! How are the Tahinas????

Hummmmm...I guess your carnival was on the "Berma", hummm?

Nice cascade of Butiás "on the rocks"...

Tahinas & party are all doing fine...only lost one of the high altitude Euterpe edulis from Carambeí so far...maybe I should bring the surving ones into AC bedroom at night?

[ricky]

great job Alberto those palms look like they've been there forever

ricky

[Alberto]

Almost ten years later the Butia microsoadix grew a lot more in cultivation then they do in natural enviroment, the ''campos'' vegetation. Probably the absence of concurrence of grasses and other plants, and the fertilization with some NPK every year made them grow to proportions they don´t show in nature. (I'm trying to cross them with S. romanzoffiana that's the reason of the blue plastic bags.)

Edited December 4, 2018 by Alberto

[Alberto]

Pic from above. Wine bottle for scale.

[Fusca]

Looking great Alberto!  I'm sure you'll be successful with your hybrids!

Jon

[maesy]

They are beautiful! Are you going to use the santa catharina queen as the pollen donor?

[Manalto]

I'm new to hybridizing but I've seen in the field plants being prepared by covering the flowers, as Alberto has done, but always with a paper bag. I understand the impermanence of paper outdoors, but is there a risk with using plastic (heat, condensation) or is that the way it's done now?

[Alberto]

I use plastic bags only after emasculation of the inflorescence. The heat and condendation inside kills all the remaining butia pollen that eventually could remain on the inflorescence. After anthesis and pollination I use a bag that let some fresh air circulate and that prevents condensation and accumulation of hot air inside the bag. I used my native Paraná queens for pollen.

[Manalto]

Thank you for that information, Alberto. I'm looking forward to seeing the results.

[Josue Diaz]

Bom trabalho Alberto! Voce acha que as B. microspadix fican en peligro de extincião? É uma lástima que as destruyan.

 

What a shame they bulldoze those butia. Is this particular species endangered?

[Alberto]

Muito obrigado, Josué. Yes they are very rare here and there are a few places where they still survive. The campos are rare ecosystems because of the very developed agriculture in our region. Practically 95% of all the campos where substituted by pasture or soybean, beans, wheat and corn fields

[Cikas]

They are beautiful!

[Alicehunter2000]

Let us know if any dwarf mule seeds will be available for sale. This is one of my my dream hybrids....good luck!

[Alicehunter2000]

Alberto any updates?

What are all the species of Butia and Syagrus you are currently growing? Other related Allogoptera, Lytocarium etc. 

It's always interesting for people in 8b, 9a, 9b growing zones here in the US because many of these species grows well here. Very similar climates and soils? 

We are a great backup repository for the preservation of some of these species since many are threatened in their native habitats. I think RPS and Caixa? offer seeds from time to time. 

[Alicehunter2000]

Mauricio Caixeta 

[Flow]

How are everyone's Butia microspadix doing? Mine almost bit the dust last year when I did not water it enough but it has made a great comeback this year.

[Alex-v]

what do you think about this Butia ? could be a microspadix? 

it has very fine leaflets

[Alberto]

(Twelve years later after planted) Butia microspadix is a strange palm. In cultivation, free from competition of other plants and grasses of the "campo" vegetation, with some NPK once or twice a year, they grew 5x or more the size they grow in habitat. The fruit production is also bigger and you will find fruits! In habitat most are preyed by rodents. The fruit itself ( covered with some tomentum) smells like a strange mix of butia, used dirty socks and some kinds of cheese. Must be a delicassy for this wild mice. (The gardener Sebastião is not really tall, maybe 1,50 m)

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[Alberto]

They grew (free from the competition with other campo plants and with NPK) to a size that it's difficult to believe they are B. microspadix

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

Great Looking well grown palms Alberto! While I have never seen a real  B. microspadix in person I can compare them to our own local Butia's and see the great difference in Butia's offered and growing here.