Arenga pinnata
(Wurmb) Merr.
Black Sugar palm
(c) rambatino, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) rambatino, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) rambatino, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Juice - flowers, Sap, Seeds, Cabbage, Sago, Starch, Palm heart
Edible Parts: Leaves Sap Seed Edible Uses: Drink Sweetener A drink and sugar are made from the sweet sap obtained from the flowering stems. It is obtained by beating and bruising the developing inflorescence, which is then cut and a juice is obtained from the cut end over a period. Leaves - cooked. The appical bud, known as a 'palm heart' is sometimes used for food. It can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a vegetable. Removing this bud will result in the death of the plant, since it is unable to produce side shoots. A sago-like flour can be ground from the trunk pith and used for cakes, noodles and other dishes. A product typically made from the plant in West Java is known as kolang kaling - this is the cooked endosperm of young sugar palm fruits. One infructescence yields about 4,500 endosperms. It is used for a cocktail and local refreshment known as kolak.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
A tropical palm. It needs warmth and humidity. It grows in lowland forest up to 500 m altitude. Widely distributed at low and medium altitudes throughout the settled areas of the Philippines along streams. It grows in limestone areas. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. In Yunnan. In Townsville Palmetum.
Africa, Asia, Australia, Bali, Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, China, Colombia, East Africa, East Timor, Fiji, Guam, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, South America, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Timor-Leste, USA, Vietnam, West Africa, West Timor,
How to Identify
A large palm. It grows to 18 m high. It forms one trunk 30 cm across and covered with old leaf bases and black fibres. It has spines 7.5 cm long. It has long leaves which reach upwards. They have leaflets along the stalk made up of 100 or more pairs. The leaves are 8.5 m long. The leaflets are whitish beneath, lobed at the tip and with ear like pieces near the base. They have large flower stalks hanging down from the leaf axils. Several fruit stalks develop from the top downwards. When the palm is mature a flowering shoot is sent out from the axil of the upper leaf then followed by other flowers until the tree reserves are exhausted and the palm dies. The fruit are round and dark red. They are 4 cm across. The fruit pulp damages skin. There are usually 3 seeds per fruit. They have one flat side.
Nutrition Score: 5/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sap | 1656 | 396 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Palm heart | 94.7 | 79 | 19 | 0.1 | — | — | 0.5 | — |
| Pith starch | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nuts | — | — | 10.03 | — | — | — | — | — |
How to Grow
Plants are grown from seed. The seed grow easily.
Propagation: Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and sow in deep containers. Alternatively, scratch the seed near the germination spot until the brown, inner seed-coat layer becomes visible, then soak in water overnight. The seeds should then be seeded in a clean medium with good aeration, planted with the germination spot downward and covered with a 1-cm layer of sand. The sand should be kept moist at all times. Within 2-3 weeks about 80% of the seeds will have germinated and can be transplanted to any type of container. Germination varies from 2 - 12 months or more. Direct sowing is possible but seedlings take a long time to establish well and may grow at irregular distances. Untreated seeds freely dispersed show 10-20% germination after 6 months. Plants can also sometimes be propagated through suckers.
Medicinal Uses
Roots provide medicinal products, such as a tea decoction used to cure bladder trouble.
Other Uses
Basketry Broom Containers Fibre Filter Fuel Insecticide Paper Plant support Soil stabilization Thatching Tinder Wood Other uses rating: High (4/5). Agroforestry Uses: The plant has an extensive root system, up to 3 metres deep and 10 metres wide. It has been planted, especially on slopes, for soil stabilization. Other Uses The leaf sheath is a source of a tough, black fibre (gomuti or yonot fibre). It is not pliable enough to be used for purposes such as running rigging, but is very strong and durable and used chiefly for making cables and a very strong rope that is tolerant of both fresh and salt water and of fire; it is used for marine work, thatching, upholstery and brushes. The hairs found on the base of the leaf sheaths are very good tinder for igniting fire. The fibre, placed in the bottom of a vessel, is useful for filtering water of its physical impurities. At the base of the leaves there is a woolly material used in caulking ships and stuffing cushions. Old woody leaf bases, as well as the long leaves, can be used for fuel. The split petioles are used for basketry and a form of marquetry. The youngest leaves are sometimes used as cigarette paper. The leaves are used as a source of thatching material. The roots are a useful insect repellent. The trunks of dead trees are allowed to rot and become hollow and are then used as water pipes. The pith of the leaf rachis is an ideal shape for use as a drinking cup. The very hard outer part of the trunk is used for barrels, flooring and furniture. Posts for pepper vines, boards, tool handles and musical instruments like drums are all made from the wood Special Uses Carbon Farming Food Forest
Wikipedia
Source ↗Arenga pinnata (syn. Arenga saccharifera) is an economically important feather palm native to tropical Asia, from eastern India east to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines in the east. Common names include sugar palm, areng palm (also aren palm or arengga palm), black sugar palm, and kaong palm, among other names.
Production
It is fast growing and short lived. An estimated sugar yield for 150-200 trees per hectare is 10 tons of marketable sugar over 10-15 years. A tree can yield 2 litres per day for 25 days. If the growing tip or cabbage is removed the palm usually develops side shoots and remains alive.
Other Information
It is cultivated.
Notes
There are 17-20 Arenga species.
Names & Synonyms
Anau, Aren, Bergat, Berkat, Cabo-negro, Datil, Enau, Gomuti palm, Habong, Inau, Juo, Kabong, Kaong, Kawung, Kichilippanai, Lirang, Mergat, Nanggung, Nau, Palem aren, Palem saguer, Peluluk, Sugar palm, Suikerpalm, Tali metan, Taren, Ta-shing, Taung-on, Taw-on, Thangtung
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