Yatay palm

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Yatay palm
Specimens of Butia yatay in El Palmar National Park, Entre Ríos Province, Argentina

Specimens of Butia yatay in El Palmar National Park , Entre Ríos Province , Argentina

Systematics
Monocots
Commelinids
Order : Palm- like arecales
Family : Palm family (Arecaceae)
Genre : Jelly Palms ( Butia )
Type : Yatay palm
Scientific name
Butia yatay
( Mart. ) Becc.

The yatay palm ( Butia yatay ), also yatay butia called, is a plant of the family of the palm family . It is easy to confuse it with the smaller, closely related Butia capitata from the same region of origin.

Occurrence

In its region of origin in the south of Brazil , Uruguay and northeast Argentina , the Yatay palm once formed large forests. It grew there on sandy soils. Many of them were cleared for agricultural use. The largest surviving Yatay forest is located on an area of ​​approx. 85 km² in the El Palmar National Park in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos . Today Butia yatay is also planted as an ornamental palm in other subtropical regions. It can also tolerate dry heat.

features

Butia yatay is long-lived, can reach heights of up to 12 m, making it taller than most other species in the genus Butia . Their trunk is covered by dark leaf bases. The up to 2 m long, bluish leaves are pinnate. The yellow inflorescences contain up to 100 flowers. The fruits are 3 to 5 cm in diameter and cannot be consumed by humans. However, they attract many birds and were the main food of the probably extinct turquoise macaw .

living conditions

Butia yatay prefers well-drained, slightly alkaline or neutral soils and lots of sun. It needs a lot of moisture as it grows, but tolerates drought and freezing temperatures in winter. The seeds need warmth and moisture to germinate. In unfavorable conditions, germination can take several months.

Synonyms

  • Calappa yatay (Mart.) Kuntze
  • Coconut yatay mart.
  • Butia capitata subsp. yatay (Mart.) Herter
  • Syagrus yatay (Mart.) Glassman

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (English)
  2. ↑ Walter Erhardt among others: The great pikeperch. Encyclopedia of Plant Names . Volume 2. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2008. ISBN 978-3-8001-5406-7

Web links

Commons : Butia yatay  - album with pictures, videos and audio files