palmapedia.com
PALME => PALME (Arecaceae) => Autor teme: KT - Lipnja 18, 2016, 10:25:00 prijepodne
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All of them are more or less of the same age. From left to right Butia structior green, unknown sp and Butia eriospatha. According to PalmeperPaket the var strictior is now the newly described sp: Butia catarinensis, which is a trunking Butia albeit of small dimensions. The unknown specimen was identified by Alberto Barkema (a Braziian palm grower from the highlands of southern Brazil) also as catarinensis. But the difference between the two specimens is very big. Although of almost same age, the strictior has the smallest stem (which is plausible, since it is actually a small sezed catarinensis), the eriospatha has much bigger stem (also very plausible since eriospatha has a thick trunk), but the unknown specimen is the champion; its stem is even thicker than the one of eriospatha. Below all three plants and comparison of their stems
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Below detailsof the stems and petioles of the three plants in the same order as above. The unknown specimen has definetely considerably thicker stem than the the eriospathaand also red petioles and leaf bases on the the older leaves, thus it makes me thinking whether is a hybrid or the legendary Butia gigantea, a mysterious taxon (only once they were imported in Europe big, trunking plants under such name with secret provenance) with identifying features the Jubaea-like thick trunks and the purple leaf bases.
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Nice butias.Maybe the unknown sp. is B.purpurascens?
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Negative, this possibility has been rejected in the EPS forum by Butia experts such as Nigel and Alberto. Truth is that same plant, when seedling, it was not resembling much a Butia, instead petioles had a nice chocolate color. One friend of mine gathered the seed in Tenerife under the impression that this seed was coming from a nearby Arecastrum and he still insists that all seeds he had gathered have the Arecastrum appearance. Do we know any Butia, which produces seeds similar to those of Arecastrum?
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Here are old pictures of the mysterious Butia, only two years old since germination. It was still in a community pot with two other Arecastrum, since it was believed to be another seedling of Arecastrum, lol. The leaves were then held straight and upright. After a defoliation due to a fungal infection, it started producing recent strongly arching leaves!!!!!!!