Butia capitata

Butia capitata
Butia capitata, Tresco, Isles of Scilly, UK
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Butia
Species:	B. capitata
Binomial name
Butia capitata (Mart.) Becc.[1]

Butia capitata, also known as Pindo Palm or Jelly Palm, is a palm native to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.^[1] This palm grows up to 6m (exceptionally 8m) in a slow but steady manner. It is easily identifiable with beautiful feather palm pinnate leaves that arch inwards towards a thick stout trunk.

Butia capitata is notable as one of the hardiest feather palms, tolerating temperatures down to about −10 °C; it is widely cultivated in warm temperate regions. For example, it is commonly grown on the East Coast of the United States as far north as Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Ripe fruit are about the size of a cherry and yellowish orange in size. The taste is very forceful. It's a mixture of pineapple, apricot, and vanilla. It's extremely tart and sweet, with a flesh kind of like a hard pineapple.

Gallery

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  Ripe fruit of Butia capitata palm growing in Ocean Isle Beach

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  Butia capitata palm growing in Ocean Isle Beach, bearing both ripe and unripe fruit

References

External links

• http://www.sunpalmtrees.com/Cold-Hardy-Palm-Trees-Pindo-Palms.htm
• http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/BUTCAPA.pdf^{[dead link]}

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