Nibung palm
Cyrtostachys loriae

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. It grows 10-25 m tall. The trunk is 10-30 cm across. There are 8-14 leaves in the crown. They are 2.5-4.8 m long and there are leaflets along the stalk. The leaf sheaths are tube shaped and 1.1-1.8 m long. The leaflets are narrow and regularly arranged. There are 76-189 leaflets on each side. The flowering shoots come from among the leaves. They are 40-150 cm long. The flowers are pale yellow. The fruit are oval or sickle shaped and 8-16 mm long by 4-5 mm wide. They are black. The seeds are oval.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in primary and secondary forests between 30-400 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, Solomon Islands

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Cabbage, growing tip

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Palem nibung

Synonyms

Cyrtostachys brassii Burret; Cyrtostachys kisu Becc.; Cyrtostachys microcarpa Burret; Cyrtostachys peekeliana Becc.; Cytostachys phanerolepis Burret;