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Arenga pinnata

Authority	(Wurmb.) Merr
Family	Liliopsida:Arecidae:Arecales:Palmae
Synonyms	Arenga saccharifera
Common names	black sugar palm, gemuti palm, palm de sucre, sugar palm
Editor
Ecocrop code	3348

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION An evergreen tree (feather palm) reaching 7-20 m in height and 30-65 cm in trunk diameter. Roots black, very strong, extending up to 10 from the stem and going as deep as 3 m. USES All parts of the palm are used, and for a multitude of products. It contains large quantities of starshy sap in its trunk. The sap is converted to sugar when the palm flowers at 7-10 years of age and can be extracted from the male inflorescence stalks. The palm sugar is used in dishes, sweets, drinks and preserves. Young leaves, still white, are eaten in the same way as palm cabbage. Palm beetles are reared on fallen stems and consumed raw, fried or cooked. The leaf sheats, roots and the pith of the trunk are extracted for fibers used in the manufacture of brushes, roofs, fishing nets, cordage on ships, hats and to reinforce concrete. Sago starch can be extracted and used to prepare food. The fibers are very durable in sea water. It is also a source of honey and has medicinal properties. GROWING PERIOD Perennial. It begins to flower when it is 7-10 years old. The peduncles of the male inflorescences are tapped daily for about 60-90 days. Flowering continues for about 2 years, after which the palm dies. COMMON NAMES Sugar palm, Gemuti palm, Gomuti palm, Areng palm, Palm de sucre, Palmier areng, Aren, Enau, Kawung, Enau, Ejow, Kaong, Kabong, Berkat, Kaong, Bagobat, Hidiok, Taung-ong, Tnaot prei, Taaw taat, Chok, Tao, Doat. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: A. saccharifera. Sugar palm can be found growing wild from India through Malaysia to the Philippines. It can be found at elevations between sea level and 1400 m. Wild it occur in primary or secondary forests, especially on sites poor in nutrients and mesic sites such as denuded hillsides. The green peel of the fruit is poisonous and can cause serious skin infection on contact. Sugar yields may be about 70 kg/day per ha or 25 t/ha per year. Sago yields may be up to 100-150 kg/tree.
Sources
SOURCES (A. pinnata (Wurmb.) Merr.) Williams C 1979a pp 240-241 [DRA, TEXT, RAIN] Roecklein J 1987 pp 255 [USE] Duke J 1975 pp 7 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Purseglove J 1972 pp 419 [USE] Kirby R 1963 pp 416-417 [USE] Westphal E 1989 pp 50-55 [USE, LIMIT, TEMP, LIG, RAIN, FER, TEXT] Wickens G 1995 pp 86-87 [USE]