Butiagrus Hybrid, Mule Palm

I have 5 of these beauties the largest having 8' of trunk and starting to flower regularly. Probably hardy to 15 degrees. Has a queen lik...Read Moree trunk but hairy like a butia. They are quite expensive and not very easy to find on the west coast. Especially large ones. I love the way they makey driveway look.

There pretty easy to find in Florida. If you need one send me a message and I will be happy to help you track one down.

I have Desired to make it a House palm and try a few outside in Zone 6a. I have to warn people check this palm every 3 to 5 mouths. This ...Read Moreis a Very fast growing Palm. I love it for this Reason those. its looks like a Relaxed Pindo palm that's is Thornless.

Also found listed as Butia capitata x Syagrus romanzoffiana

I have 3 of these palms in my yard,. One is 4 year old palm and the other a 2 year old. I also purchased an excellent 7 gallon specimen ...Read Moremule palm online. The fronds have a lush green appearance more closely resembling the Queen in the cross while obtaining some of the curvaceousness from the Pindo. This past winter we had 2 nights with back to back lows of 21oF neither of my palms received any additional protection and they are growing fine in my zone 8B garden. For those gardeners looking to emulate the look of a Queen or even the "Coconut" but live too far north this palm might be worth a try. They are not cheap due to being cross pollinated by hand, but reportedly hardy to 14oF. There are 30-40 feet specimens both on the University of Florida campus and at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens here in Gainesville, suggesting they have been able to withstand lows in the mid teens observed over the last 25 years.

This is a great cross between two very hardy palms (Butia capitata female and Syagrus romanzoffiana pollen donor... though other Syagrus ...Read Morecrosses have been successful, too). It is a fast grower, though sort of intermediate between the two parents (Syagrus, or Queen palm being a lot faster grower). It has some beefiness of the Butia with some arched leaves of the Butia, too. Generally, the leaves are usually quite green like the Queen palm (Butias tend to be bluish green). The adult plant has exceptional hardiness, able to withstand temps below 20F. It is also very wind and drought tolerant. This is a great palm for a large space, but is quite rare and expensive.

As one might expect with an intergeneric hybrid, these plants are extremely variable, not nearly as consistent in appearance as either of the parents. The name Mule palm refers to their typical intergeneric sterility (as is 'always' the case in the animal world)... but in fact many times these palms produce viable seed that germinate and turn into seedlings that are, themselves highly variable. This variability is probably due to the female flowers being pollenated by who knows what parent- could be a nearby Syagrus or Butia, or even a Jubaea, since most of these adult palms are growing in botanical gardens or gardens belonging to enthusiast who usually have a variety of other palms growing nearby.

Note, the reverse cross, Syagrus X Butia (Syagrus female flowers being pollinated by Butia pollen) is not only a very difficult palm to create since the Syagrus female flowers seem to reject pollen from other genera, but those rare seedlings that do arise are often weak and spindly, not showing any of the famous 'hybrid vigor' of the above cross. Reportedly most seedlings of this cross do not survive to adulthood.