Butia purpurascens

Butia purpurascens
Purple Yatay Palm

A smallish and very rare species from central Brazil, where it is found in savanna vegetation, often growing together with Syagrus flexuosa, Attalea and Allagoptera. It grows a slender trunk that can reach up to 4 m (13 ft.) tall and carries a small crown with elegantly arching, V-shaped, blueish-green leaves. As opposed to most other Butia, the leaf stalk does not produce any spines. The fruits are purple. Butia purpurascens is a robust and easy to grow palm for temperate, subtropical and dry tropical areas. As far as we know, seeds have not been commercially available ever.

germination comments by our visitors
For general germination instructions click here.

Also see plant cultivation comments below.

Seeds from this species ...

...easy to germinate and need up to 3 months to sprout.
This species requires the same conditions for germination as other butias. I use vermiculite in ziploc bags, kept moist and stored in a warm chamber at 37 ° C. As soon as a seed is sprouting, it is placed in a deep pot which contains a mixture of commercialy-available acidic compoist ( ready-to-use for hydrangea culture) and fine river sand (for aquarium ) with a ratio 80:20 respectively. Very important: the seedlings are watered from the bottom, never from the top, to avoid rotting. First seeds take about 2 months to sprout, most take three to five months, some take longer.
Submitted on 04/01/2004 by Gérard Loison loison.gerard@wanadoo.fr


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plant cultivation comments by our visitors
Also see germination commnets above.

Plants from this species ...

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If you wish to read more on palm cultivation, we highly recommend Ornamental Palm Horticulture by Timothy K. Broschat and Alan W. Meerow, available in our bookshop.

Ratings and comments reflect individual experiences and the views of our visitors. They do not necessarily describe the most appropriate methods, nor are they necessarily valid for all seeds or plants of this species. Germination and plant cultivation success depends on many different factors; nevertheless, these experiences will hopefully aid you in your effort to get the best germination results from our seeds and the best growth results from your plants.

We recommend:

Conifers for Gardens: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
by Richard L. Bitner

Hardcover - 448 pages
More than 1500 photographs

Our Rating:

Suitable for: all

Conifers for Gardens is intended to take away the element of uncertainty when you're choosing a plant that may alter your yard for years to come. Profusely illustrated with more than 1,500 crisp photographs and brimming with concise descriptions of both species and their numerous cultivars, this meticulously researched reference provides information - including size, appearance, hardiness, preferred growing conditions and susceptibility to pests and diseases - for almost every hardy conifer you're likely to encounter in the trade, whether it's a tried-and-true favorite or a connoisseur's treasure.

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