Yatay palm, Wine palm, Argentine yatay
Butia yatay

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

An evergreen palm. It grows up to 4-5 m tall, but can be 12 m tall. The trunk has the leaf bases attached. The leaves are long and feather like. They are 2-3 m long and bright blue-grey. They curve over. The leaf stalk has spines. The large bract below the flower stalk had a waxy bloom and is hairy. The flowers are large 10-16 mm long. The fruit are large and yellow. They are 3-4 cm long. They are edible.

There are about 9 Butea species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions. They need a well drained soil and sunny position. They are fairly hardy to frost and can be grown in temperate areas. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Argentina (country/location of origin), Australia, Brazil (country/location of origin), Europe, India, Paraguay, South America, Uruguay

How it is used for food

The young buds are eaten. The seeds are eaten and yield a fatty oil. The fruit are used to prepare a local brandy.

Edible parts

Fruit, buds, seeds, cabbage, palm heart, oil

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Seed are slow and erratic to germinate. They take 6 months to 2 years to germinate. The seed have a hard outer shell and cracking this may quicken germination.

Plants are generally slow growing.

Its other names

Local names

Butiazeiro-jatai

Synonyms

Cocos yatay Mart.; Syagrus yatay (Mart.) Glassman;