Palmyra like palm
Borassus heineanus
Family: Arecaceae
What it is like
Palmyra like palm. A large palm which has separate male and female trees. It has a single trunk. It can grow 25 m high. The trunk is 35 cm across. The leaflets are spread out like fingers on a hand. The leaf stalks does not have thorns. The leaf sheath is split to the base and there is another split below the leaf stalk. The male and female flowers are very different. The male flowers are in dense clusters in pits in the flower bearing stalk. The fruit are large with a black shiny surface. They are 12-15 cm long by 8-10 cm wide. The fruit is in 3 sections. Each one has a single seed inside.
There are 7-10 Borassus species.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It occurs in Papua New Guinea in groves in headlands projecting into the Sepik River and also occurs along the Sepik plain. In Cairns Botanical Gardens.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia, Indonesia (Papua), Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia
How it is used for food
The young fruit are eaten.
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
It grows from seed.
Fruit get too dry when old, so are eaten when young.
Its other names
Local names
Beiwof, Lipmemon