Asian palmyra palm

Asian Palmyra palm

The fruits of the Asian Palmyra Palm resemble coconuts from far away, but on closer observation they are different. The fruits grow in clusters on tall pretty looking palm trees.

Names

Scientific
   Borassus flabellifer
English
   Asian palmyra palm
   Cambodian palm
   Ice apple
   Palmyra palm
   Sugar palm
   Toddy palm
Dutch
   Suikerpalm
French
   Palmier de Palmyre
German
   Lontaropalme
   Lontarpalme
   Palmyrapalme

Taxonomy

Genus
   Borassus
Family
   Arecaceae
Order
   Arecales

Basic information and facts

Origin:

Distribution:

Evergreen or deciduous:

Evergreen

Flowers:

There are separate male and female trees. Male and female inflorescences
are tapped to produce a sweet sap.

Leaves:

The crown of the tree is a cluster of leaves with a fan
form.

Fruits

Fruits grow in clusters and have a superficial
resemblance to coconuts. The fruits are round and have a dark-brown
color on the bottom part and a green color on the top. The color changes
to dark-yellow when it ripens. Fruits have a diameter of 13-20
centimeters. When the fruits are cut you find inside three jelly seed
sockets with pale-white translucent flesh which can be eaten. The flesh
has a sweet taste.

Trunk

The trunk of this tree is like a coconut's, but the
leaves are quite different so the two palms cannot be confused.

Climate and weather:

Pollination:

Height:

The Palmyra palm is a large palm tree, usually 10 to 25
meters high, but sometimes growing up to 30 meters tall.

Type of soil:

Growth rate:

Especially when young, this is a very slow growing palm
tree. It may take 20 years until the first harvest, but the tree can get
more than a hundred years old.

Spacing:

Propagation:

Insect pests:

Diseases:

Harvesting:

Fruits are harvested by hand. Climb the tree and cut clusters of fruits with a hatchet or big knife.

Uses:

The pulp of the fruits is eaten fresh. From young inflorescences a sweet sap (toddy) can be harvested, which has a nice taste and can be concentrated to produce sugar. Other uses of the tree include the wood, for example for construction of houses, and the leaves, for example for making mats or hats.

Crop categories

Fruits
Sugar crops
Food crops
Tropical crops

Pictures