Syagrus amara

(Jacq.) Mart.

Overtop palm

Arecaceae Edible: Sap, Fruit, Palm heart, Cabbage 17 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A palm. It has a single stem. It is 15-20 m tall and 10-20 cm across. The trunk is swollen at the base. There are 12-15 leaves and they are 3 m long. There are 102-106 leaflets on each side and these are rigid. They are arranged in irregular clusters of 2-3. They spread out at different planes but are not feathery. The flowering stalk has about 50 flowering branches. The fruit are oval and 5-7 cm long and 3.5 cm wide.

Edible Uses

The sweet sap from the flowering stalk is tapped and traditionally fermented into wine. The fruits are fermented for beverages. The kernels are eaten, though bitter. The palm heart and sap are also consumed.

Traditional Uses

The flowering stalk is tapped for its sweet sap. This has been made into wine. The fruit are also fermented and used for a drink. The kernels are bitter but are eaten by children.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows naturally in the Lesser Antilles below 300 m altitude. In Brisbane Botanical gardens. In XTBG Yunnan. In Townsville palmetum.

Where It Grows

Antilles, Asia, Australia, Central America*, China Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Lucia, West Indies,

Synonyms

Cocos amara Jacq.Rhyticocos amara (Jacq.)Becc.

Also Known As

Coco nain, Iataho, Kokoye, Mocho, Petit coco de bois, Yataw, Yattahou

References (6)

Balick, M.J. and Beck, H.T., (Ed.), 1990, Useful palms of the World. A Synoptic Bibliography. Colombia p 291, 296,
A. D. d'Orbigny, Voy. Amerique mer. 7(3). Palmiers 132. 1847
Henderson, A., Galeano, G and Bernal, R., 1995, Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton. p 143
Hodges, W.H., 1957, Rhyticocos amara. Principes 1(5): 176-179
James, A., 2009, Notes on the Uses of Dominica's Native Palms. Palms, Vol. 53(2): p 65

Show all 6 references

Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 841