the similar pinnae, the lack of teeth on the petioles, and sizes and shapes of its fruit and flowers, yet differing in always possessing an above-ground trunk, in its larger dimensions of leaves and inflorescences, and in the purplish colour of its flowers and fruit. In 2015, after many more species had been discovered, Soares continued to consider it the most similar to B. archeri, but this species is distinguishable from B. purpurascens by having much smaller dimensions of its trunk, leaves and inflorescence. In Goiás, where most of the population resides, the species B. archeri and B. capitata also occur, although they do not necessarily all occur together. Distribution It occurs in southern, western and eastern Goiás, western Minas Gerais and northeastern Mato Grosso do Sul, three inland states of southern central Brazil. Up until 2018, many publications state that this species is endemic to southwestern Goiás, but it was collected in Minas Gerais already in 1987, and as of 2018, with further sampling of the flora, its known range has expanded considerably. In 1998 the IUCN reported that a single, but large and quite healthy population occurred near Jataí, largely protected within the confines of a military reservation (41º BIMTZ), but as of 2017 it is known from at least fourteen localities. These are in the municipalities of Aparecida do Rio Doce, Cachoeira Alta, Caçu, Cavalcante, Jataí, Perolândia and Rio Verde in Goiás, and Ituiutaba and Patrocínio in the Triângulo Mineiro area of Minas Gerais. It is particularly prominent around the city of Jataí, with the palms growing at visibly high densities. The total area of occupancy (AOO) was estimated to be only 3,762 km2 in 2012, but in 2017 the AOO was estimated to be 1,645 km2, while the extent of occurrence (EOO) was estimated to be 10,100 km2, which means that the species has an abundance of 16%, which is very low compared to the other species in the genus Butia. Ecology Habitat It grows in cerrado. In Cavalcante it occurs in cerrado plains sensu stricto, in places with well-drained soils and usually sparse tree cover. Densities of 880 to 1379 woody plants per hectare have been recorded for the palm grove areas, with a mean of 89 adult palms a hectare. Palm density is highest in areas with sparse woody vegetation. It often grows together with Syagrus flexuosa, Attalea and Allagoptera palms. The soils it