Rakum palm
Salacca wallichiana

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A large clustered shrubby palm. It grows to 12 m tall. The trunk can be creeping. The stems are 20-30 cm across. Aerial roots are often present. The back of the leaf stalks are heavily covered with spines. These can be 8 cm long. The leaves are 7.5 m long. They are produced in erect, dense tufts. The male flowering stalk is slender and hangs down. The fruit are oval and 7-8 cm long by 4 cm wide. They are reddish brown. They occur in dense clusters and are scaly. They are edible usually after cooking.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in swamps and seasonally flooded places. It SE Thailand is grows from sea level to 500 m altitude. In Cairns Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Cambodia, China, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, SE Asia, Singapore, Thailand

How it is used for food

The fruit (seeds) are used as acid flavouring in curries.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Asam kumbang, Cho-la-ka, Kumbak, Kumbar, Rakam, Rekam, Sala, Salak kumbar, Salak rengam, Thai, Yin-ngan

Synonyms

Zalacca macrostachya Griff.; Zalacca rumphii Wallich ex Blume;