Butia capitata, Trunk

@lucie: It was also okay in colour, but I found this version even more interesting. Thanks!

@Margie: I'm sure it's a nice palm, that healthy and strong trunc is really incredible :) This is a big specimen planted in a tub, if I had done a total shot, many less interesting things of the environment would also have been captured.

@Michael Skorulski: This one was planted in a big tub. I think they're chopping the fronds because this makes winter protection much easier. But above that trunk were many healthy and beautiful branches.

@Observing: Depends if you want to grow them out- or indoors and if you want to have edible fruits. There are cultivars of Musa acuminata that stay rather small, look for Musa acuminata 'Cavendish' or Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish' and can be cultivated indoors during winter if you give them enough light. Flowers after 8 years, fruits are small but edible. Musa basjoo is relatively hard and can grow in your garden at a protected place if you provide some winter protection (cut off most of the 'stem' and mulch the stub, see here (click through the articles, pictures show the method)).
Anyway, if you want plenty of fruit, you'll have to plant plenty of bananas :) With optimal care they will have fruits after a few years - and then die. So if you have a sunny place give them a try, my Musa was a bargain from the supermarket for a small amount of money. This year it survived its 2nd winter (indoors) and grows like hell :)

@JoeB: *lol* No, this one grows in Cologne's botanical garden :-D
(But there are some Butia seeds in a bag and I'm waiting eagerly for them to shoot.)
(My balcony palms are a Phoenix canariensis, a Washingtonia robusta and a Chamaerops humilis. Some tropic palms grow indoors.)

@akarui: That's a good idea! Next time I'm there I'll take a even closer close-up and will do as you suggested. Thanks :)

@Michael: Mit Kübel etwa 2,50m, ohne etwa 1,70m, also schon ganz ordentlich. Mindestens zwanzig Jahre alt, schätze ich mal. Sehr schöne Palme!

@Japanalia: As a palm grower I would support this thought; having a palm this big, that is some decades old and still healthy, is sort of an arts project. At least it's a matter of love.