Butia odorata in habitat - a truly incredible experience.

[bgl]

Today I had the pleasure of visiting the world's largest habitat of Butia odorata with IPS members Elena Beare and Gastón Colominas. The habitat is in Rocha, Uruguay, about a four drive east of Montevideo. To describe the experience as amazing would be a vast understatement. Driving along a dirt country road for mile after mile after mile there are literally thousands of mature Butia odorata on both sides of the road, for as far as the eye can see. I'll be posting a few of the many photos I took.

[Palmaceae]

Very cool, thanks for posting!

[bgl]

This may very well be the only four-headed Butia in the world. Gastón took the photo while I posed! 

[bgl]

Yes, all Butia odorata!

[bgl]

And even more - and these are all in different locations along the road.

[Brett in Mission Viejo]

Spectacular! Thanks for sharing.

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Oh now I’m all inspired.  Will have to plant some more here.  I’m sure in 300 years I will be enjoying their beauty. Now, more seriously, what are the souls like on the plains.  I see them growing out of the rocky hills, but are the plains well drained too?

[Cikas]

Beautiful, but only aduld palms in habitat ( and old). Where are the juvenile butias? It seems like the whole butia forrest is old without any young palms. 

Edited January 20, 2018 by Cikas

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Amazing pictures.  I could only spot one juvenile in all of the photos combined.  I am guessing that almost all of the natural habitat is now grazing land and possibly preventing young butia to grow?

[Kris]

I have never seen anything like this.Though in Kerala we have coconut trees grown as commercial crop plantation.But Above stills are like heaven for Butia fans..

Thanks for the visuals and Btw even we are travelling with you to all these nature reserves.We feel lucky since our eyes are feasting. 

 

[Josh-O]

amazing pic's Bo!!!

I wish i was there with you my friend!!

please keep them coming

[Xerarch]

I love Rocha! I lived there for a handful of months once, both in the town of Rocha and also nearby Castillos, also in the department of Rocha. 

I have seen those same Butias, I took a bunch of photos but alas I haven’t been able to find them for many years, I don’t know what could have happened to them. 

For those of you that noticed that there are no juvenile palms, yes that is true, and all that land is used for cattle. Where there is a fence along the road you will suddenly notice a lot of juvenile palms along the road and none on the other side of the fence where the cattle are. This is a major problem, if something isn’t done to protect young palms this wonderful sight will be lost forever as soon as the tall palms die of old age. 

[Austinpalm]

Just curious, was the area a Butia savanna prior to cattle grazing in the area, or was a woodland/forest converted to grassland for cattle grazing? I see the woodlands on the hilltops.  Were the lowlands also woodland prior to settlement?

[Laaz]

Seems mutil headed butia are not all that rare. We have at least three that I know of here in Charleston with double heads. Here's a four header in FL.

 

[Succulentum]

Amazing, do we see them with google earth ?

jean-bernard

[Alberto]

Very nice pics. Thanks! I hope to see it in the flesh one day.

[Reeverse]

Awesome to see them in habitat!! 

[Brad Mondel]

Thanks for sharing. These are my favorite palms of all, way nicer than Cocos. Hopefully there is a reserve somewhere with this species on it to keep them protected. 

Edited January 21, 2018 by Brad Mondel

[PalmTreeDude]

Wow! That does look amazing! It makes me want to run around in those fields!

Edited January 21, 2018 by PalmTreeDude

[Jamesasb]

beautiful and sad at the lack of young butia 

[bgl]

Thanks everybody for your comments.  I'll add a few more photos from that very special day. I'll split them up in three separate posts, as not to overwhelm!

[bgl]

I was under the impression that the fences are mainly to keep the animals inside, rather than to prevent people from accessing the areas. Plus, Elena and Gastón seemed to know the areas and the owners in the various places where we stopped. Gastón is negotiating one of the fences in the third photo below.

[bgl]

Third and final batch. In the fifth and last photo below, the palm on the right is a Syagrus romanzoffianum, and Gastón believes that the palm on the left is the hybrid Butyagrus.

[caranday]

Hello, some more pics of this trip.

[caranday]

Both red and yellow flowers

[caranday]

On 20/1/2018 20:26:40, Alberto said:

Very nice pics. Thanks! I hope to see it in the flesh one day.

When you want it, you¨re welcome

[Xerarch]

On 1/23/2018, 3:51:54, bgl said:

Third and final batch. In the fifth and last photo below, the palm on the right is a Syagrus romanzoffianum, and Gastón believes that the palm on the left is the hybrid Butyagrus.

Ñandú! 

[bgl]

Ñandú - indeed, or Rhea Americana. And lots of them!

[caranday]

On 20/1/2018 0:35:43, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Amazing pictures.  I could only spot one juvenile in all of the photos combined.  I am guessing that almost all of the natural habitat is now grazing land and possibly preventing young butia to grow?

 Young Butia growing outside private lands,between fence and road. 

There are a lot of research about this problem and now a days are some demostration farms grazing in such a way that is possible the regeneratios of the palms.

It´s a begging !!! we hope in a future show more pics of young palms.

[Anthony_B]

WOW!  Incredible photos.  Butia odorata are beautiful, much more than the butia capitata if you ask me.  It makes me wonder why they're not more popular for landscaping.  Breathtaking.

[hbernstein]

I assume that most of these habitat views are of "zombie" populations. Once the mature trees die, it's game over.

Like many other species, their numbers are dwindling. People who see these Butias now will remember them, Their children will remember the small surviving remnant. Their grandchildren will know nothing of them.

We live in a world of impoverished memory.