Irar
Pinanga woodiana
Family: Arecaceae
What it is like
A small and slender palm. The trunk is ringed and grows to about 4 m tall. The leaves are about 2 m long. The leaves have about 50 segments which are equal distance apart at 6 to 7 cm on each side of the leaf axis. The leaf is sword shaped and 1 to 2-ribbed, straight, rigid and narrowing to a point. They are split midway into two lobes at the tip. The leaflets are 55 cm long by 4.5 cm wide. The flower arrangement is a spike of flowers along a central axis with several branches in a spiral. The fruit are in an ordered sequence of 3 on the lower part of the branches. They are small, being 12 to 15 mm by 7 to 8 mm. They are oval with oval seeds. The fruit ripen through red to dark purple.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. They are distributed in primary forest at altitudes of 1000 to 1300 m in the Philippines. It is a tropical plant.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia
How it is used for food
The bud is cooked and eaten.
Edible parts
Cabbage, palm heart