This is my first post to this forum, so please bear with me. I live in The Villages, FL and recently, while walking, I spotted this GORGEOUS palm tree. I've been trying to research it on my own (without much success). At first I thought maybe it is a Mule Palm or perhaps a Silver Queen. I'm totally stumped. The fronds look like a cross between a Queen and a Pindo (sort of) and the trunk looks like a cross of the same. Pictures I've looked at of Mule palms don't have fronds as pretty as these. Any ideas?? Thanks for any input! Deb
I agree Mule Palm, Butia capitata x Syagrus romanzoffiana. They're variable and a few are other Butia species used as crosses. I've seen a few that looked like a straight Butia but grew with hybrid vigor so that they were almost certainly hybrids. HTH Chris
Thanks for your input, Chris. Didn't occur to me about the phenomenon of hybrid variability until you mentioned it. That would certainly explain the different "look" of various Mule Palm pictures I've found. The pix I attached are two different trees. They are right across the street from each other. Apparently one neighbor got the first one and the across-the-street neighbor had the nursery come back out and plant the same palm for them! Keeping up with the Joneses at it's best! LOL!
