Rhopaloblaste ledermanniana

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A tall single stemmed palm. It grows 15 m tall. The crown has about 11 leaves. The trunk is 8-10 cm across. It has grooves along it. The leaf scars are prominent. The leaf sheath is 60-70 cm long. The leaf stalk is 15-20 cm long and the rachis 2-4 m long. There are 60-90 leaflets on each side. These are 3-4 cm apart and in one plane. The middle leaflets are 65-75 cm long by 2.5 cm wide. They taper at the tip and divided into two. The flowering stalk is 65-95 cm long and spreads about 1.5 m wide. It is branched. The fruit are about 2 cm long and 1 cm wide. They are oval. They are yellowish green when young and become orange to red when ripe. There is one seed about 1 cm long.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in primary rainforest between 50 and 900 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

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

How it is used for food

The shoots are eaten by the Mianmin in Papua New Guinea.

Edible parts

Shoots, cabbage, palm heart

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Rhopablaste brassii H. E. Moore;