Footstool palm, Java fan palm
Livistona rotundifolia

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A tall graceful palm with fan shaped leaves. It grows 24 m high. It has a slender trunk with prominent white rings. The leaves of the adult plants are spiny in their basal parts but spineless elsewhere. The leaves are glossy. When young, the leaves are only shallowly divided and have drooping tips. Older leaves become tattered by the wind. The flower clusters hang from the axils of leaves. The fruit are round and dark violet. There is one species and 3 varieties.

There are 28 Livistona species. This description is of var. luzonensis.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. They are widely distributed but grow naturally in forested areas and are of somewhat local occurrence in the Philippines. In Cairns Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. Adelaide Botanical Gardens. In Townsville palmetum.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand

How it is used for food

The buds are cooked and eaten. The fruit are eaten raw. Starch can be extracted from the trunk.

Edible parts

Cabbage, trunk-starch, palm heart, fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate in 2 months.

Seedlings grow slowly.

Its other names

Local names

Anahau, Anahaw, Paam chawa, Palem kipas sadeng, Palem kipas woka, Sadeng, Serdang, Taung-htan

Synonyms

Livistona altissima Zoll.;