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Pinanga isabelensis

Becc.

Takon

Arecaceae Edible: Cabbage, Palm heart

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Ahoerstemeier (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

wikimedia· cc-by-sa

Rachad sanoussi (via Wikimedia Commons)

Description

A slender and very small palm with stems 1 to 3 cm across. The stem has rings around it. There are soft hairs on the new fronds and leaf sheaths. The leaves are few and on each side of the stalk. There are 8 or 9 narrow leaflets with 2 to 4 ribs. The segments taper to the tip and are smooth underneath. The flower stalk has 5 or 6 branches. The fruit are exactly in two rows, and narrow but broadest below the middle. They are 16 to 19 mm by 9 mm. The seed is long and cone shaped in its upper part.

Edible Uses

The bud is cooked and eaten, and the palm heart is harvested as a vegetable.

Traditional Uses

The bud is cooked and eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. They occur in forests of Isabela in the Philippines near the sea at low altitudes.

Where It Grows

Asia, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia,

References (3)

  • Jones, D.L., 1994, Palms throughout the World. Smithtonian Institution, Washington. p 301
  • Monsalud, M.R., Tongacan, A.L., Lopez, F.R., & Lagrimas, M.Q., 1966, Edible Wild Plants in Philippine Forests. Philippine Journal of Science. p 527
  • World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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