Butia archeri

[Alberto]

I have this little Butia grown from seed.It´s label says Butia archeri 23-4-o6,so it is now 3 years old since it was planted as a germinated seed.

I´m wondering if it really is a B.archeri since I haven´t others to compare. The leaflets are very narrow and grey green. The petioles show a purplish collor. How look your archeris ???

[Alberto]

Date and name. Look at the collor of petioles...

[Alberto]

Detail

[Alberto]

Beautifull purplish blue on the upperside of the petioles.

[BS Man about Palms]

Thats very pretty Alberto!

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

Beautifull purplish blue on the upperside of the petioles.

Alberto, I can't help you with the identification, but that sure is a beautiful Butia. The colors are fantastic! I thought the dwarf Butia's would be slow but if yours is three years from seed then they must be fast. Thanks for posting the picture.

[freakypalmguy]

That sure looks like B. archeri Alberto but I've only seen a handful of them firsthand. I have not seen the purplish coloring on one yet.

[PalmGuyWC]

Alberto,

I have two small B.archeri, both in 2 gal. pots. I hope to plant them today. They are both green but have some blueish color on the petioles, but none of the purplish color that yours has. They are very small, dainty plants about a foot across. Mine have been rather slow growing. The fronds are very arching, but maybe that's the way it got its name. I'm hoping they will turn silver as they get older. They are very rare in the USA. Mine came from Darold Petty.

Dick

[Al in Kona]

Hi Alberto. I'll share my Butia archeri with you so that you can see how it grows for me. It is a very slow grower and is growing in open sun in perfectly draining rather loose semi rocky soil. Now rarely ever gets any supplemental water and hasn't been fertilized. It is actually now quite glaucous color - looks especially silvery when sun is shininng on it. The very older leaves do tend to lose some of the blueness.

Left to Right

# 1 Butia archeri 8-'05

# 2 " " 2-'07

# 3 " " 5-'09

# 4 " " 5-'09 (same but a slightly different angle)

[ghar41]

I have a couple of B. archerii's.

[ghar41]

And....

[ghar41]

Both have glaucous, silvery petioles though......

[PalmGuyWC]

Al,

Your B.archeri is the largest I've seen growing in cultivation, but I must say, Hawaii seems an unlikely place to find one. Has yours bloomed yet?

Glenn, I might know you would have some. Those are the largest I've seen growing in the bay area. I suspect there are some larger ones growing in S. Calif. B. archeri would make a great subject for hybridizing. Can you imagine a dwarf mule? A Butia. archeri X with Parajubaea sunkha should make a nice cross too.

I never got around to planting mine yesterday, as it was so hot I couldn't function outside. Just walking around changing hose bibs and I was covered with sweat. That's my first project this morning, as it's going to be another sizzler today.

Dick

[Alberto]

Thanks for the pics and comments! They are much apreciated!

Nobody has a little palm with the purple and blue collors?

[Zayin]

This forms somewhat of a trunk, eh?

[iwan]

None of mine show any purple.

[PalmGuyWC]

Robert,

If that is a B. archri, it's the largest I've seen in N. Calif. Get that babie in the ground ASP in a very sunny spot. Yours looks rather large and it scares me. I just planted two, and I hope I didn't plant them to close together. From the photos I've seen of them growing in habitat, they look rather small. I guess it only stands to reason with some TLC they would grow larger.

Dick

[freakypalmguy]

Those are some very nice ones Robert, I agree with Dick, get those in the ground.

I wonder at what age B. archeri start producing seed? I imagine it won't be too many years and archeri seed will be much more abundant.

Matt

[iwan]

Dick, Matt,

Yes, they are ready to go in the ground. That one is sitting where it is slated to be planted. I noticed some gopher activity in that area so I need to build a basket for it and need to decide where the boulders are going in that bed. I have three more that I plan to cluster, but haven't decided where I want to plant them yet. If I don't decide soon, they will get potted up to 15g.

I am wondering about flowering also Matt. I would love to see an Archiagrus! I am really looking for a thin trunked, cold hardy, fiberless palm.

Those are some very nice ones Robert, I agree with Dick, get those in the ground.

I wonder at what age B. archeri start producing seed? I imagine it won't be too many years and archeri seed will be much more abundant.

Matt

[Michel64]

This one is supposed to be an archeri:

And a small one:

Edited May 22, 2009 by Michel64

[Michel64]

Details on the small archeri:

Edited May 22, 2009 by Michel64

[PalmGuyWC]

They keep getting larger. Michel, yours is the only one I've seen in cultivation that has bloomed. Did yours set any seeds, and do you have any idea how old it might be?

The purple striation on the boot seems to be typical for this species. Mine has the purple striation too, but the fronds are green. I was hoping when they grow larger they would turn silver. I guess there is a green and a silver form.

Alberto, since yours has purple or wine on the petioles, you may have the silver form.

Dick

[Michel64]

Dick, unfortunately I haven't got any seed with the plant. At the nursery there where a few archeri with seeds, but I did't pay attention.

I have no information how old it is.

I hope it's a true archeri, because I hardly believe I could get a fruiting archeri.

[PalmGuyWC]

Hi Michel,

You were very lucky to find a B. archeri that is fruiting size as they are very rare in the USA. I believe yours is the real thing as it's fruiting at such a small size. The two that I have are much smaller than yours and very compact. I don't know if it's been done yet, or if it's even possible, but a B. archeri crossed with Syagrus or Parajubaea should make an interesting hybrid.

Dick

[Alberto]

You were very lucky to find a B. archeri that is fruiting size as they are very rare in the USA. I believe yours is the real thing as it's fruiting at such a small size.

I really hope it is a B.archeri. It shows very arching fronds!.............,but B.paraguayensis also flowers at this size........

Nigel can tell us more,I think

[Kris]

Very nice visuals gentlemen & a nice topic !

[Exotic Life]

Hi,

After the people showing some pictures of an Butia archeri, I don't think yours is an archeri Alberto. I'm running my own business, not so long but today I have bring some plants also small Butia eriospatha. When I was home I saw also an purpisch color on the petioles, and I was directly thinking about your topic. So when I compare the plants with yours, I do think you have an eriospatha.

Here are some pics from the plants that I've bring in today.

[Exotic Life]

And they all have the same colors and shape, so I think you have an eriospatha. If someone say not, then I'm also curious about it

Robbin

[Alberto]

Hi Robbin, I forgot to answer your statement....

I know young Butia eriospatha as ´´the palm of my hand´´and I´m certain my little Butia isn´t a eriospatha!!!

[Dave H]

Hi Robbin, I forgot to answer your statement....

I know young Butia eriospatha as ´´the palm of my hand´´and I´m certain my little Butia isn´t a eriospatha!!!

Hi Alberto,

I'm thinking mine looks very similar to the pics ExoticLife posted... And B. archerii is not supposed to be spineless. How do you know yours is not eriospatha ? I'm thinking mine may be... I was hoping for purpurascens since I believe its not Archerii.

Thanks

Dave

[mjff]

I checked my Butia archeri, and it does not have purple petioles either. The petioles on it are silver like the one in Glenn's post above.

[Nigel]

Here is a mature Butia archerii in a pot.

It has been trimmed recently. It has a very distinctive reddish colour to the petiole when cut through. I never saw this colouration in any other butia.

[BigBpalms]

I have a few butia eriospasta and they all have the purplish shade on the emergent leaf - it fades as the leafs mature, but the palm in question looks just like my eriospathas

[PalmGuyWC]

Nigel,

Those are beautiful B. archeri, but with trunks that size they obviously have been taken from habitat. How old do you estimate they may be? All of the ones I've seen have been green but the photos of them in PACSOA are silver. Are the colors mixed in habitat or are there only certain colonys of silvers?

Dick

[Nigel]

Nigel,

Those are beautiful B. archeri, but with trunks that size they obviously have been taken from habitat. How old do you estimate they may be? All of the ones I've seen have been green but the photos of them in PACSOA are silver. Are the colors mixed in habitat or are there only certain colonys of silvers?

Dick

Hi Dick,

These plants were saved from destruction by a palm lover near to the habitat. As far as I know it is always silver, maybe young plants are greener ?

[edbrown_III]

I dont know if color is diagnostic. I drove from Belohorizonte to Diamintina and beyond. I saw miles of them along the way. I saw green ones and blueish ones during my last visit in 2001 --- Noblick notes that they dont have armature on petioles ----for me this is the diagnostic trait. seeds are proportionately smaller too.

Beautiful photos I will try to scan some and post also.

Best regards

Ed

[Nigel]

Noblick notes that they dont have armature on petioles ----for me this is the diagnostic trait.

Best regards

Ed

I guess it comes down to defining what is armature ..... purpurescens is totally smooth, archerii has very small but relatively harmless `protrusions` which you probably couldnt define as armature.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

Here is a mature Butia archerii in a pot.

It has been trimmed recently. It has a very distinctive reddish colour to the petiole when cut through. I never saw this colouration in any other butia.

Nigel, many thanks for posting the pictures of the potted B. archerii. I have never seen any of that size and did not even realize they got that big. They must be very old. I am so happy someone has saved them from destruction. Thanks also for the tip on the red colored petiole cut. Do you mean the red color "bleeds" from a fresh cut and then dries to another color or that a cut exposes a red cross section of semi woody petiole that persists?

[Alberto]

Mine is certainly not a Butia eriospatha. The seeds were to tiny and I´m so familiar with B.eriospatha. This is a native palm here and also I have lots of volunteers that I regularly have to dig up. a seedlings of B.eriospatha also must be a LOT bigger after this years and the collors and shape of leaflets, all says it´s not the well known B.eriospatha!!!

I have to make a new pic of my little butia and of a young B.eriospatha.

[Nigel]

Here is a mature Butia archerii in a pot.

It has been trimmed recently. It has a very distinctive reddish colour to the petiole when cut through. I never saw this colouration in any other butia.

Nigel, many thanks for posting the pictures of the potted B. archerii. I have never seen any of that size and did not even realize they got that big. They must be very old. I am so happy someone has saved them from destruction. Thanks also for the tip on the red colored petiole cut. Do you mean the red color "bleeds" from a fresh cut and then dries to another color or that a cut exposes a red cross section of semi woody petiole that persists?

No ,after its dry it seems to have a reddy colour.