Butia capitataJelly Palm

The Butia capitata is a stout, single-trunked feather palm from South America, immediately recognisable by fronds that arch so strongly they curve back towards the trunk, forming a dense blue-grey crown. It is slow, reaching 4 to 6 metres over many years, which makes it a specimen rather than a screen.

Among the pinnate palms it is unusually cold hardy and unusually drought hardy at the same time, and it carries heavy crops of orange fruit that are made into jelly across its native range. That combination of toughness and colour has made it a staple of formal courtyard and entrance planting.

Specifications

• Height4 to 6 metres
• Width4 to 5 metres (crown spread)
• Native toSouth America, in southern Brazil and Uruguay
• FoliageStrongly arching, blue-grey pinnate fronds recurving towards the trunk; evergreen
• Growth rateSlow

Conditions

• SoilPrefers well-drained sandy or loamy soils; tolerates poor and alkaline ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in subtropical, Mediterranean and arid regions, and tolerates cold better than most feather palms

Additional Features

• FormCompact recurving crown on a stout, ringed trunk retaining old leaf bases
• UsesEntrance and courtyard specimens, formal avenues, plaza planting and large containers
• SpacingPlant 4 to 5 metres apart for grouping or formal repetition
• Low MaintenanceRequires minimal pruning; remove dead fronds and spent fruit stalks periodically
• Pest ResistanceGenerally resilient where drainage is good
• Drought ToleranceHolds full condition on low irrigation once established
• Salt ToleranceTolerates coastal exposure and salt-laden wind
• Frost ToleranceAmong the hardiest of the feather palms, tolerating light to moderate frost

The Jelly Palm is a slow, characterful specimen palm for formal entrances and courtyards where a compact blue crown is wanted.