Butia odorata

Butia odorata, the pindo or jelly palm, is a stout-trunked feather palm from the coastal plains and low hills of southern Brazil and eastern Uruguay. Its thick trunk carries a dense crown of strongly arching, blue-grey to silvery leaves, and long hanging clusters of fragrant, sweet-sour yellow to orange fruit ripen in summer.

For most of the twentieth century it was sold as Butia capitata, and many growers still know it by that name. It is one of the hardiest feather palms in cultivation.

At a glance

• Native range: southern Brazil and Uruguay
• Mature size: usually 3–6 m, occasionally to about 10 m
• Light: full sun to light shade
• Water: prefers sharply drained soil and dislikes waterlogging
• Cold hardiness: leaf damage at about −10 °C; established palms survive about −12 °C
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors, including cool-temperate gardens

Care

Plant in full sun for a tight, silvery crown, or in partial shade for longer, more graceful but greener leaves; avoid deep shade. It prefers sandy, free-draining soil but adapts to many types, including dry and alkaline ground. It is notably free of disease; a palm fertiliser with potassium prevents the spotting of older leaves that deficiency causes.

Why Palmpedia: Raised in our Almeirim greenhouse in Portugal and supplied in 15 L to 35 L pots.