15 Year-old Butia growth progression pictures

[Matthew92]

We've had our Butia for 15 years now this past September. Was put in with original landscaping in 2000, and has grown vigorously, thriving on poor, sandy soil with sprinkler irrigation and fertilizer occasionally. Always has bloomed/fruited profusely, even when very young. Sometimes it sends up inflorescence even during winter where they sometimes are damaged by a hard freeze. With how large it is now, if we don't cut the flowering stalks soon enough, there are pounds and pounds of rotting fruit on the ground that can be smelled from the street.  Also makes for constant "volunteers" that need to be weeded. 

I'm guessing it's a capitata. Unlike other Butias I've seen with inflorescence that has red coloring in it or fruit that is a more yellow color, this one has perfectly yellow/gold inflorescence with large, purely orange fruit.

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Edited November 20, 2015 by Opal92

[Ben in Norcal]

Wow.  Stunning plant.  I used to not like Butia - but who wouldn't love that in their yard?

[Mohsen]

very beautiful, I assume it has been  in Full sun from the beginning? I am going to plant a small one with hoping to be like yours one day I have never tried the fruit , is it really edible ? what is the taste?

[Sabal Steve]

That's honestly the nicest Butia I've ever seen.  They look good here, but often not like that.  Well done, love the shot with the lawn chair.

[knell]

Wow! it works so well with the rest of the landscape.

[Jamesasb]

thats awesome growth, how many leaves does it put out each year?

[User00]

great 

[aivalima]

You got a nice looking palm!!! Congratulations man!! 

[Patricia-CR]

Absolutely beautiful progression!! Congrats.

[dalmatiansoap]

Beautiful plant! I guess you dont have much winds there?

[Brad Mondel]

It's most likely an odorata, fruit is variable. Perfect specimen! Bravo! 

[_Keith]

Tremendously good looking palm, a perfect specimen.   All those years of mulching have fixed the poor soil and provided the needed nutrients.   Being a specimen planting and having no real competition for those nutrients have allowed it to maximize its potential.  Bravo.

[Matthew92]

Thanks for all your comments. Been watching this beauty for years and so glad to finally share it. I'm in love with the full canopy- so many are robbed of their full potential. There are some pindos at a house behind us that are about the same age, but are hacked every year to only a few fronds pointing up in the air- they are less than half the size of this one and look just sad.

[Palmaceae]

Very nice Butia, you do not see many this far south, but yours looks perfect.

[Moose]

12 hours ago, Opal92 said:

Thanks for all your comments. Been watching this beauty for years and so glad to finally share it. I'm in love with the full canopy- so many are robbed of their full potential. There are some pindos at a house behind us that are about the same age, but are hacked every year to only a few fronds pointing up in the air- they are less than half the size of this one and look just sad.

I'll bet that if you sent that seed to Dave of the Doomed, he would make sure it would get shared with many palm lovers. Especially since your Butia seems to have some robust DNA.

[Matthew92]

On 11/19/2015, 11:25:26, Mohsen said:

very beautiful, I assume it has been  in Full sun from the beginning? I am going to plant a small one with hoping to be like yours one day I have never tried the fruit , is it really edible ? what is the taste?

Yes, always in full sun. The fruit has a strong pineapple/orange kind of smell, but I tried it once and it had this really tangy overripe/rotten taste to it. It's probably variable between different trees with some tasting better than others: I know some people really like them.

On 11/20/2015, 1:49:34, Jamesasb said:

thats awesome growth, how many leaves does it put out each year?

Not quite sure, maybe just several?

On 11/20/2015, 8:58:31, dalmatiansoap said:

Beautiful plant! I guess you dont have much winds there?

Yes, it's pretty still a lot of the time- we're a good 10 miles from the coast.

14 hours ago, _Keith said:

Tremendously good looking palm, a perfect specimen.   All those years of mulching have fixed the poor soil and provided the needed nutrients.   Being a specimen planting and having no real competition for those nutrients have allowed it to maximize its potential.  Bravo.

It gets a new layer of pinestraw every year. I'll bet that really helps. I've seen some in the area where there is mostly open sand underneath and it survives but definitely doesn't look the best.

1 hour ago, Moose said:

I'll bet that if you sent that seed to Dave of the Doomed, he would make sure it would get shared with many palm lovers. Especially since your Butia seems to have some robust DNA.

Yes, I marvel at how perfect and robust this particular one is and would love to share it. I've thought about trying to grow the seeds before, maybe this summer I can collect a lot.

[Walt]

That's a stunningly beautiful butia. I have two butias in my garden. One is larger than yours, one smaller -- but neither of the two as nice as yours. I think one would be hard pressed to find a nicer specimen than yours.

I've liked butia capitata the first time I ever saw some mature ones growing at the now defunct Charleston, S.C., naval base. This was back in 1968. I had little knowledge of palms, and when I saw the butias I thought they looked very tropical, and couldn't understand how a tropical looking palm like those could grow in Charleston. Of course, decades later when I got into the palm hobby I learned of their relative cold hardiness. Because of Butia capitata's tropical look and cold hardiness rating (and edible fruit), it rates as one of my top five palm species. If I could only grow five palm species, Butial capitata would certainly be one of them.

[Matthew92]

Today: cold front just passed through, air was clear and crisp and I couldn't help capturing the blue/silver tones in the Butia.

 

[Kris]

Beautiful visuals and thanks for posting those progressive growth stills.

Love,

Kris.

 

[avanza]

nice job 

[palmfriend]

Those pictures are telling me I did the right thing when I pulled seeds out of the ground in

our Botanical garden - just before the tree got whacked down.

No I have about 20 or more seedlings (two of them are twins) and I am glad to be able give them a chance

in my yard.

Thanks for sharing,

best regards

 

[Tassie_Troy1971]

very nice palm and amazing growth

[Swolte]

Thanks for posting. Great pictures. I do think it's time for the 2017 update...
;)

[MrTropical]

2024 update? @Matthew92

[sonoranfans]

Ive seen butias around here in bradentoin area that dont look that robust.  Very nice palm, and yes thanks for the pics and record.  Any idea how wide the crown is leaf tip to leaf tip.  That one seems to have a thicker trunk and bigger crown than all butias I have seen in my area.  Might be that with better care they get physically bigger.

[Matthew92]

On 7/15/2024 at 12:13 AM, MrTropical said:

2024 update? @Matthew92

Yes, I'll post some update photos soon. It's grown vertically a lot more. Fronds are well above the ground now.

[Alberto]

On 11/20/2015 at 3:25 AM, Mohsen said:

very beautiful, I assume it has been  in Full sun from the beginning? I am going to plant a small one with hoping to be like yours one day I have never tried the fruit , is it really edible ? what is the taste?

My favorite Butia fruits are of B. eriospatha.  They must be ripe but on the green side , not "over ripe", when they have a taste of rotten bananas or over ripe pineapple...