Butia yatay Becc.

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.

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.

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

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.