Wine Palm, Fishtail Palm, Toddy Palm
Caryota urens
Family: Arecaceae
What it is like
A single stemmed palm up to 10-15 m tall. It can be 20 m high. It has a large, thick, ringed, grey trunk. The leaves are very large. They can be 5-6 m long and 40 cm wide. The fronds arch over. They are twice divided. The leaflets are like a fishtail or fin and with teeth at the tip. Trees flower after 10-15 years. It only fruits once then dies. The flowers are borne on large bunches of heavy, hanging spikes. They are 3-7 m long. They bear both male and female flowers. The fruit is round and about 2 cm across. They are reddish. There are 1-2 seeds. They look like a betel nut split in half.
There are 12 Caryota species. They are tropical.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in tropical and warm temperate regions. It likes a deep, rich soil. It grows in open, cleared areas of rainforest. It suits humid locations. The soil needs to be well drained. It Sri Lanka it grows up to 1,000 m above sea level. In XTBG Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Central America, China, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Fiji, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, Senegal, Sikkim, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
An edible starch can be extracted from the stem. The stem pith is boiled, mixed with rice and cooked. The palm heart is edible. The very young unfolded leaves are edible. They are boiled. The sap from the flower stalk is used for sugar or wine. For wine it is fermented and for sugar or jaggery it is boiled down. The seeds are used as a masticatory. They are chewed with betel leaf. The shoots are used to increase the taste of meat. CAUTION: The fruit contain stinging crystals.
It is a cultivated food plant. Children chew the seeds.
Edible parts
Sap, starch, cabbage, sago, palm heart, fruit, seeds - masticatory, flower sap
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate in 2-4 months. They can germinate in less than 1 month. It can tolerate sun while quite small.
It is fast growing. From the cut flower clusters 20 litres of sap per day can be collected. A mature tree yields 30-40 kg of starch from the trunk. In Sikkim fruit are available in January.
Its other names
Local names
Anapana, Ardhashishi, Bagani, Baganimara, Bankhajur, Baraflawar, Berli, Berlimad, Bherawa, Bon supari, Cariota, Chaal gua, Cha guwa, Chao tamol, Chewa gach, Chhau, Dirgha, Dokechu, Dok kechu, Dong zong, Gol sago, Guobang, Ha da a bo, Jaggery palm, Jilugujattu, Kitul, Kittul, Koondalpanai, Koonthalpanai, Kundapana, Kwai-cha, Lamgi kwa, Mada, Mari, Maype, Minbaw, Moahi, Nyod tao, Palma ribjega repa, Panamchapu, Panasoppu, Ramgua, Rangbhang, Rungbong, Sagu, Salapa, Salopa, Shankarjata, Shivajata, Somong kung, Sowat goch, Surmadi, Taminbaw, Thippili panai, Tippili, Tippilipana, Tum, Tunsae, Tuum, Vazapana, Yiaobu