Mule Palm

xButyagrus nabbonnandi ("Mule Palm")("Hybrid")
This beautiful palm is the result of Butia capitata being
pollinated by Syagrus romanzoffiania. It is extremely frost
hardy and can withstand temperatures to at least 14F (-10C)
when large enough. It is possibly the nearest coconut
lookalike that can be grown. The palm is sterile, hence its
nickname the `Mule palm` , and all palms must be produced
by painstaking hand pollination.

USDA Zones: (8b) 9-11
Typical Height: 30'
Growth Rate: Fast
Habit: Solitary

Synonyms: Syagrus X fairchildianae

The Mule Palm, X Butiagrus nabonnandii, is one of the most beautiful of all
the frost-hardy pinnate-leaved palms. Its rarity and useful size make it a
treasure for warm climate gardens, bringing coconut-like lushness to areas
where the frost-tender true coconut (Cocos nucifera) would not prosper.
Although nurseries and palm fanciers may deliberately create the cross, as
Paul Nabonnand did early in the 20th century, these rare trees more often
arise as accidental hybrids among seedlings planted where their parents (a
Queen Palm, Syagrus romanzoffiana, and a Pindo Palm, Butia capitata)
occur near one another. Young Mule Palms usually grow at a rapid pace
and, when established, can be expected to survive low temperatures to
near 14F (-10C) or as low as 10F (-12C), depending on the individual tree
and its unique inheritance. Although compact enough for small courtyard
gardens, with age the Mule Palm assumes majestic proportions, and in
clusters or pairs will produce gracefully curving trunks and lush crowns
reminiscent of the Coconut. These specimens are unique and carefully
prepared X Butiagrus nabonnandii ideal for avenues, group plantings, or
any landscape purpose.

Culture: X Butiagrus nabonnandii thrives in sun or light shade and will
tolerate drought. The trees exhibit hybrid vigor and tolerate a range of soil
types from clay to sand. As with most palms, good drainage is most
important. The trees grow well in coastal areas and is salt water tolerate
and cold hardy.

Common Names: Mule Palm, Butia Queen Cross, Hybrid
Cold Tolerance: 14F (-10C). Some trees have withstood temperatures as
low as 10F (-12C).