Butia capitata(Pindo Palm, Jelly Palm)
Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2004 4:04 pm
Butia capitata is sometimes know as the "Pindo Palm," or the "Jelly Palm."
The Jelly palm is quite cold hardy growing well into zone 8. The Pindo Palm can grow as far north as the Virginia Capes. It is unusual, because the Jelly is a pinnate leaf palm. There are 2 types of palms, palms with pinnate fronds and palms with palmate fronds. Pinnate fronds are the fronds that look like feathers and palmate fronds are the fronds that are shaped like fans. Pinnate palms tend to be less cold hardy than palmate, which is why it is unusual for a pinnate palm like Butia capitata to be so cold hardy. I'm of course leaving one other type of frond out called costapalmate, which is a combination of a pinnate and a palmate frond. The Sabal minor(Dwarf palmetto) is a good i.e. of a costapalmate palm, as well as Chamerops humilis var. cerifera(Blue Mediterranean Fan Palm). The Jelly palm is native to Brazil and produces a fruit which can be made into jelly. The Jelly Palm is used alot in the southern United States along the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic. The Jelly Palm is also grown far inland in the south, in places like Macon, Georgia, Jackson, Mississippi, and Birmingham, Alabama. It is attractive, providing a more tropical look for the non-tropical area. For the professional cold hardy palm grower, its worth a try in zone 7b.
The Jelly palm is quite cold hardy growing well into zone 8. The Pindo Palm can grow as far north as the Virginia Capes. It is unusual, because the Jelly is a pinnate leaf palm. There are 2 types of palms, palms with pinnate fronds and palms with palmate fronds. Pinnate fronds are the fronds that look like feathers and palmate fronds are the fronds that are shaped like fans. Pinnate palms tend to be less cold hardy than palmate, which is why it is unusual for a pinnate palm like Butia capitata to be so cold hardy. I'm of course leaving one other type of frond out called costapalmate, which is a combination of a pinnate and a palmate frond. The Sabal minor(Dwarf palmetto) is a good i.e. of a costapalmate palm, as well as Chamerops humilis var. cerifera(Blue Mediterranean Fan Palm). The Jelly palm is native to Brazil and produces a fruit which can be made into jelly. The Jelly Palm is used alot in the southern United States along the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic. The Jelly Palm is also grown far inland in the south, in places like Macon, Georgia, Jackson, Mississippi, and Birmingham, Alabama. It is attractive, providing a more tropical look for the non-tropical area. For the professional cold hardy palm grower, its worth a try in zone 7b.
