Pronunciation: BOO-tee-uh air-ee-oh-SPATH-uh/air-ee-oh-SPAY-thuh
Common Name: Wooly Butia
Butia eriospatha outwardly looks pretty darn similar to Butia capitata (most of the large Butias look very similar), but it does have a fuzzy flower spathe (not woody and smooth as seen in Butia capitata).
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: solitary with a crown of 24-26 feather leaves
- Height: 15'
- Trunk: single; 18" thick; very closely ringed; brown-grey
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 10'-12'
- Leaf Description: pinnate; tightly recurved; leaflets stiff and upright in a tight 'V'; grey-green; 7'-10' long; tend to be arranged in a slow spiral around the trunk
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 2' long; glaucous green; armed; moderately channeled; retained leaf bases (un-split) on trunk while young
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: within crown; 2' long and straight up at first, then becoming pendent; spathe covered with a yellow-brown, thick tomentum
- Fruit: spherical; 1/2"; yellowish when ripe; edible
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 16F
- Drought Tolerance: good
- Dry Heat Tolerance: good
- Wind Tolerance: good
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: slow
- Soil Preference: adaptable
- Light Requirement: full sun
- Human Hazards: none
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none
- Transplants?: probably good at being moved as are most Butias
- Indoor?: unknown
- Availability: very rare due to some lack of popularity (not that different that Butia capitata)
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