Lecomte palm
Corypha lecomtei

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary fan palm. It grows 10-15 m high. The trunk is 40-60 cm across. There are 15-25 leaves in the crown. The leaf stalk is 8 m long. The leaf blade is 4.5 cm long and has 50 segments. The flowering stalk is about 2.5 m long. The fruit are 3-5 cm across.

There are 6-8 Corypha species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in seasonally dry monsoon forests and open areas along rivers and flood plains. It grows between 100-600 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Cambodia, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The starch extracted from the stem is edible. The sap can be collected from the flower stalk.

Edible parts

Stem starch

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

La buong, Lan, Las bun, Palem corypha, Samla:ng, Treang

Synonyms

Corypha laevis (Lour.) A Chev.;