Arenga engleri

Becc.

Dwarf sugar Palm, Formosan Sugar Palm, Taiwan arenga

ArecaceaeShootsBark/SapPotential hazards — see below

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(c) Ting Cheng, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)

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(c) Cheng-Tao Lin, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Cheng-Tao Lin

What to Eat

Edible parts: Cabbage, Starch, Sap, Palm heart

The pith of the stem is processed to extract starch, the sap from flowering stalks is used to make sugar, and young leaves and buds are eaten.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It will grow from tropical to warm temperate locations. It grows up to 1,600 m above sea level. It will grow in most soils. It needs a protected position. It is damaged by frost or drought. It can tolerate sun or shade. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. Geelong Botanical Gardens. Melbourne Botanical gardens hothouse. Brisbane Botanical Gardens. In XTBG Yunnan. In Townsville palmetum.

Asia, Australia, China, Hainan, Indonesia, Japan*, Mexico, North America, SE Asia, Taiwan*, USA,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bahamas, Bhutan, Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Mexico, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nepal, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, El Salvador, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Taiwan, United States, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A small evergreen palm. It grows to 3 m high and spreads to 1.5 m across. The stem is erect and slender. It forms several stems producing a cluster. The stems are covered with fibres. The leaves are dull green above and silvery below. The fronds are 1.5-3 m long. The leaflets are crowded on the fronds. Often the ends and edges are irregular. The flowers are orange and occur in stiff branched stalks. The flowering stalks come from among the leaves and after that stalk fruits that particular stem dies. The fruit are deep red berries. They are 12 mm across and round. Each berry contains 3 hard grey seeds. The pulp of the fruit damages the skin.

How to Grow

Plants are grown from seed. The seed germinate erratically taking either weeks or months. It is best to soak the seed for 3-5 days. It can also be improved by filing the mesocarp near the point of the hylum. It can be grown from suckers.

Propagation: Seed - difficult to germinate. It can take 4 - 26 weeks. A deep root is formed before the seedling emerges above soil level, and so the seed should be sown in individual, deep containers. Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water before sowing. It can take 3 - 6 months or more before signs of growth are seen above soil level.

Other Uses

The leaves are used for thatching and wickerwork.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Arenga engleri, or the Formosa palm, Taiwan sugar palm, dwarf sugar palm, or Taiwan arenga palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. The plant rarely grows more than 10 ft. tall, with a stem diameter of 6in. and a spread of 16 ft. The palm is native to Taiwan as well as Japan's Ryukyu Islands. The fruit of the palm is known to cause a severe allergic reaction.

Production

Plants grow slowly.

Notes

There are 17-20 Arenga species.

Names & Synonyms

Palem aren mini

References (21)

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