Butia odorata
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- BEW-tee-uh oh-dor-RAH-tah
- Description
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Jelly Palm is a popular landscape plant in the northern areas of Florida as well as the Gulf and Atlantic area of the southeast, in North Florida, and throughout the mild Gulf and Atlantic coastal regions of the southeastern United States. This cold-hardy palm has feathery, palm, pinnate leaves that arch inwards towards a thick, stout trunk. This shrub or small tree can reach up to 20 feet, is erect and single-stemmed, and prefers a warm, sunny location. Its fronds grow longer in shady situations, giving the palm a more graceful aspect than those grown in full sun. Eventually, this plant will become a small (palm) tree.
This palm has long been mistakenly called Butia captiata, but that species is a more tropical species that is not as hardy and is rare in cultivation. All jelly palms in our area are Butia odorata.
This variety is one of the hardiest of the feather-leaved palms. It has developed some drought tolerance due to its deep root system. It is moderately salt tolerant but intolerant of full shade, the cold, and wet soil. This plant has some pest problems.
Quick ID Hints:
- Blue-green, long, pinnately compound leaves
- Paired pinnae ascend rachis in V-formation
- Single, stout stem, clothed in grey leaf bases
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Xeric Garden Coastal Foundation- Tropical
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Butia
- Species:
- odorata
- Family:
- Arecaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Brazil (Bahia, Goiás, Minas Gerais)
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- drought tolerant, salt tolerant
- Dimensions:
- Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Tree
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is spherical to ovoid, yellow to red, and 1 inch. It is used to make jellies and fermented for wine.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Auxillary flower clusters on large 3-4 foot long inflorescence bearing tiny, yellowish to orange-red, showy flowers are fruity-scented. This plant has unisexual flowers of both sexes (male with 6 stamens and female with 3 stigmas and a solitary pistol).
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Fronds
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Rosulate
- Whorled
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves range from light green to bluish-gray (in general, a blue-green) and grow 5 to 10 feet long that arch inwards. Each leaf has 25-60 pairs of narrow pointed leaflets. The leaves are pinnately compound, pinnae linear, 2-ranked in V-shape, regularly spaced in one plane, ascending, have a single fold, and spiral arrangement.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- The stem is stout, erect, clothed with grey leaf bases.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Lawn
- Naturalized Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Flowering Tree
- Foundation Planting
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Salt
