Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Arenga obtusifolia Mart. (ARECACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Kerjim

Description

Loosely clustering feather-leafed palm growing up to 15 m with diameter c. 50 cm. Leaf sheath only persistent for a short distance underneath the crown subsequently abscising cleanly leaving a clean trunk with clear ladder-like nodes. Fronds slightly smaller than both A. pinnata and A. westerhoutii, leaflets regularly arranged but displayed in multiple planes. Stems grow continuously with flowering towards the apex without dying after its flower cycle (pleonanthic). The brunched inflorescence c. 1 m long. Fruits ovoid, longer than wide, c. 4.5 cm long.


Ecology

Lowland forests, sometimes growing sympatrically with A. westerhoutii.

Distribution

Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Java.

Uses

Inflorescence can also be tapped for sugar palm; fruits are poisonous but immature endosperms are edible.