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Butia capitata

Common name:	Jelly Palm	Family:	Palmae
Author:	(C.Mart.)Becc.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Cocos capitata
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Southern S. America - South Brazil and Uruguay.
Habitat:	Grassland plains near the coast[231].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arecastrum romanzoffianum[G] Arecastrum romanzoffianum var. australe[G] Arecastrum romanzoffianum var. micropindo[G] B. bonnetii[G] B. capitata var. deliciosa[G] B. capitata var. elegantissima[G] B. capitata var. erythrospatha[G] B. capitata var. lilaceiflora[G] B. capitata var. nehrlingiana[G] B. capitata var. odorata[G] B. capitata var. pulposa[G] B. capitata var. pygmaea[G] B. capitata var. subglobosa[G] B. capitata var. virescens[G] B. leiospatha[G] B. nehrlingiana[G] Cocos australis[G,H] Cocos bonnetii[G] Cocos datil[G] Cocos odorata[G] Cocos pulposa[G] Cocos romanzoffiana[G] Syagrus capitata[G] Syagrus romanzoffiana[G,H]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	capitata = with a head;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arecales. Renamed to Arecaceae -- Palm family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 6m by 4m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 10. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit; Oil; Stem.

Fruit - raw[61, 105, 177]. Sweet and aromatic with the flavour of apricots[183, K]. They can also be made into jellies, jams, pies, cakes etc[183]. The fruit is very fibrous but is also very nice[K]. The fruit is about 34 x 25mm[200].
The seed contains up to 45% of an edible oil, it is used mainly for margarines[2, 46, 61, 74].
The pith of the stem can be made into a bread[2]. However, because the tree cannot make side branches this will effectively kill it[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most fertile moist but well-drained soils in a sheltered sunny position[188, 200, 231]. Tolerates light shade[188].
This plant is not very cold-hardy in Britain but it tolerates short-lived frosts down to about -2°c and can be pot-grown taking the pot outdoors in the summer and keeping it in a conservatory during the winter[200]. It might succeed outdoors in a selected site in the very mildest areas of the country[200]. There are several mature specimens in south-west &ndndndnd that were planted in the early 1900's[231].
Palms usually have deep penetrating root systems and generally establish best when planted out at a young stage. However, older plants are substantially more cold tolerant than juvenile plants[231]. In areas at the limit of their cold tolerance, therefore, it is prudent to grow the plants in containers for some years, giving them winter protection, and only planting them into their permanent positions when sheer size dictates[231]. Palms can also be transplanted even when very large. Although the thick fleshy roots are easily damaged and/or desiccated, new roots are generally freely produced. It is important to stake the plant very firmly to prevent rock, and also to give it plenty of water until re-established - removing many of the leaves can also help[231].
A slow-growing plant[231], it is occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit and seed[61].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse at not less than 24°c[188]. Stored seed is very slow to germinate. Pre-soaking the seed for 24 hours in warm water prior to sowing may shorten the germination time. Plants form a long tap-root some time before forming a shoot. Germination of fresh seed usually takes place in 3 - 4 months at 25°c[138]. Plant out into individual pots either as soon as root growth is noticed or as soon as top growth appears. Grow on in a greenhouse for at least the first winter. See Cultivation notes above regarding planting them outdoors.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Syagrus romanzoffiana (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[231] McMillan-Browse. P. Palms for Cooler Climates. Trebah Enterprises. 1993 ISBN 0 9521952 0 8
An excellent little booklet on the subject, though it does not mention many plant uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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