Ngami igh
Clinostigma harlandii

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. It grows 28 m high. The trunk is 25 cm across. The trunk is green with white rings of leaf base scars. The trunk becomes grey. It has a ring of 2 m high stilt roots at the base. The crown-shaft is 1.3 m long and bulges at the base. The leaves are finely divided. The crown-shaft is prominent. It is light yellow or orange. The leaves are arching. They are 5 m long and the leaf stalk is 60 cm long. The leaflets hang down making the crown circular. The leaflets are regularly spaced and deep green. They have long tips. The fruit are small and round. They are deep red when ripe.

There are 13 Clinostigma species palms in the Pacific.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. They cannot tolerate frost. They need moisture and humidity. They do not like alkaline soils. They like shade when young. They do not suit hot or dry climates. It grows in the rainforest between 425 to 1500 m altitude in Vanuatu. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Pacific, Vanuatu

How it is used for food

Fruit eaten, Palm heart eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, palm heart, cabbage

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Clinostigmopsis harlandii (Becc.) Becc.; Exorrhiza harlandii (Becc.) Burret;