Butia capitata (Jelly Palm)

Slow-growing, Butia capitata (Jelly Palm) is a handsome small evergreen palm with a stout solitary trunk crowned with blue-green to gray-green leaves that curve in towards the trunk. The pinnately compound leaves, 3-6 ft. (90-180 cm), form a dense, full crown and arch gracefully creating a slightly weeping effect. Each leaf has 25-60 pairs of slender leaflets which ascend from the spiny leaf stalk to form a V-shape. The heavy trunk is patterned with the stubs of old leaves. In summer, small, creamy-yellow, fruity-scented flowers appear in long spikes, up to 3 ft. long (90 cm). They are followed by showy clusters of orange-yellow, sweet, edible fruits, as large as dates, and rich with a pineapple flavor. Easy to grow, Jelly Palm is salt, heat, and drought tolerant and among the hardiest feather palms, withstanding temperatures down to 14ºF (-10ºC). An attractive palm tree as a freestanding specimen or grouped with other palms.

• Winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
• Grows up to 10-20 ft. tall (3-6 m) and 10-15 ft. wide (3-5 m).
• Easily grown in well-drained soils in full sun or part shade. Drought tolerant once established.
• No serious disease or pest issues.
• Propagate from seed in spring.
• Native to Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.