Philippine dwarf sugar palm
Arenga tremula

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A small sized palm often growing in large clumps or tufts. They are very distinctly ornamental. They grow to about 3 or 4 m high and the trunk is usually very short or almost absent. The leaf stalks are rather long and the leaflets narrow. They are 20 to 35 mm long and 13 to 18 mm wide. They are toothed and sometimes slightly lobed at the tip. The flower is large and held above the leaves.

There are 17-20 Arenga species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. They are widely distributed in the central Philippines but of very local occurrence where they can occur in significant numbers. They grow in tropical areas and also warm temperate places. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pacific, Philippines (country/location of origin), SE Asia

How it is used for food

The flower stalks is tapped for sap known as tuba.

Edible parts

Sap, cabbage, bud

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Dumayaka, Palem aren mini filipina

Synonyms

Arenga mindorensis Becc.; Caryota tremula Blanco; Saguerus mindorensis (Becc.) Cook; Wallichia tremula (Blanco) C. Martius;