Caryota mitis

Lour.

Lesser fishtail palm, Clustered fishtail palm

Arecaceae Edible: Seeds, Cabbage, Starch, Sago, Palm heart, Sap Potential hazards — see below 3,601 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Source: Wikipedia

Caryota mitis, known as the clustering fishtail palm or fishtail palm, is a species of palm native to Tropical Asia from India to Java to southern China, now sparingly naturalized in southern Florida and in parts of Africa and Latin America. The species was originally described from Vietnam in 1790. In Florida, it grows in hummocks and in disturbed wooded areas.

Description

A small slender palm and the only representative of this genus in the Philippines which sends up shoots from the base of the trunk, forming clumps. It forms a cluster of closely spaced stems. It can be 5 m high. The trunks are 5-15 cm across. They have well spaced rings. The leaves point upwards. The leaves are twice divided and have fishtail leaflets. The leaves are 2-4 m long. The stems have black coarsely woven fibres left behind when the leaf stalk bases split. The flowering stalk is 25-45 cm long with pale cream flowers. The fruit are 15 to 16 mm across and frequently broader than high. The flower envelope is 8.5 to 9 mm across. The stems die when the fruit matures but other stems keep growing. The fruit contain stinging crystals so need to be handled with care. Each fruit contains one seed.

Edible Uses

The unopened bud is cooked and eaten, with a slightly bitter flavor. Edible starch can be extracted from the stem. Sap is extracted from the flowering stem and used for sugar or wine. The seeds are edible and can be eaten.

Traditional Uses

The bud is cooked and eaten. It is slightly bitter. The fruit is poisonous but the seeds are edible. Edible starch can be extracted from the stem. Sap is extracted from the flowering stem and used for sugar or wine.

Medicinal Uses

Cultivated mainly as an ornament plant in Cambodia, where it is named tunsaé töch, traditional healers burn the heaps of felted hairs from the leaves' axils to treat ill limbs of patients. Its trunk pith can be extracted to make a kind of flour that has similar properties like sago.

Known Hazards

The fruit of C. mitis is saturated with raphides, sharp, needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate. The raphides are strong irritants that cause damage and later itching upon contact with skin, and if ingested, the mouth. This is a result of the physical structure of the raphides, and not any chemical reaction.

Distribution

It grows in tropical and subtropical places. It can grow in warm temperate regions. It requires a rich well-drained soil. It needs regular moisture and humidity. It can grow in full or part sun. They are found wild in forests near streams at low altitudes in the Province of Palawan in the Philippines. It can grow in arid places. In Indonesia it grows up to 1,500 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. Adelaide Botanical Gardens. Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Andamans, Australia, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Caribbean, Central America, China, East Africa, Egypt, Fiji, Guatemala, Guianas, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia*, Mayotte, Myanmar, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Singapore, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed or by division of the suckers. Seed usually take 4-6 months to germinate. Plants respond to nitrogen fertiliser. Plants tolerate full sun when small.

Propagation

Seed - usually takes 3 - 4 months to germinate.

Other Uses

A fibre is obtained from the leaf petioles. The leaf sheath fibre ('kittul') from plants in this genus is durable and is often harvested as a source of thatch, cordage, and to make brushes and brooms. The fibre becomes very pliable after being steeped in linseed oil. The woolly hairs on the leaf sheaths, petioles and rachis can be used as tinder or as wadding. They may also be used to caulk wooden boats. The finer fibre can also be spun into fishing lines or coarse threads for sewing.

Production

Plants are fast growing.

Notes

There are 12 Caryota species. They are tropical.

Synonyms

Caryota furfuracea BlumeCaryota griffithii BeccariCaryota griffithii var. selebica Becc.Caryota javanica Zipp. ex Miq. [Illegitimate]Caryota nana LindenCaryota propinqua Blume ex Mart.Caryota sobolifera WallichCaryota speciosa LindenDrymophloeus zippellii Hassk.Thuessinkia speciosa Miq.

Also Known As

Ansae, Beredin, Burmese Fishtail palm, Chongsae, Cluster fishtail palm, Dudok, Dung dinh, Fishtail Palm, Genduru, Khen ang mu, Khidir, Mari patti, Mari supari, Mei-hle, Meredin, Minbaw, Mudor, Palem sarai, Pugahang-suwi, Rabok, Sarai, Tamibaw, Tao rang, Tukas, Tukus, Tunsae, Wijnpalm

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