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Areca vestiaria

Giseke

Orange crown shaft palm

Arecaceae Edible: Fruit, Nut - masticatory 64 iNaturalist observations

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(c) Malcolm Manners, some rights reserved (CC BY)

iNaturalist· cc-by

(c) Dick Culbert, some rights reserved (CC BY)

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) Marcio Santos Ferreira, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Marcio Santos Ferreira

Areca vestiaria (pinang yaki or pinang merah) is a species of palm native to the rainforests of eastern Indonesia especially North Sulawesi. Its morphology is more diverse than other species of palms, and in particular the color of its upper trunk / crownshaft changes depending on altitude (varying between red and orange). The people of Sulawesi, near Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, have long used the fruit of this palm as a male contraceptive. They drink a decoction of the fruit flesh boiled in water. The chemical composition of the fruit has been investigated with this in mind, but this does not represent evidence of its effectiveness as an antifertility agent.

Description

A palm. It has a single smooth trunk but can be in clusters. This is 7 m tall and 10 cm across. The leaf stalks are bright orange. The leaves are dark green. The fronds are 1.3 m long and have 20-30 leaflets. Flowers are in clusters and are orange-yellow. They are on short stalks amongst the leaves.

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten; the nuts are used as a masticatory.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in rainforests in the lowlands and up to 1,200 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Cairns BG.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Indonesia*, Malaysia, SE Asia,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds or suckers.

Production

It is slow growing.

Synonyms

Areca henrici FurtadoAreca langloisiana PotztalAreca leptopetala Burretand others

Also Known As

Pinang yaki, Yaki palm

References (2)

  • Heatubun, C. D. et al, 2012, A monograph of the betel nut palms (Areca: Arecaceae) of East Malesia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 168, 147–173
  • Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 750

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