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arenga palm
Scientific Name: Arenga
Family: Arecaceae
Category: Monocot
Growth:
Duration:
Other Names:
Arenga pinnata: The Sugar Palm
Arenga pinnata, also known as the sugar palm, arenga palm, areng palm, black-fiber palm, gomuti palm, aren, enau, irok, and kaong, is a versatile and economically significant feather palm native to tropical Asia.
Considerations for Pets
- The text mentions the palm has rough, old leaf bases covering the trunk.
- The plant produces sap that is tapped for sugar production.
Scientific Classification
- Scientific Name: Arenga pinnata
- Synonym: Arenga saccharifera
- Family: Arecaceae (implied as it is a palm)
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to tropical Asia, ranging from eastern India to Malaysia and Indonesia.
Morphological Characteristics
- Medium-sized palm, growing up to 20 meters tall.
- Trunk diameter is typically 40-50 cm.
- The trunk remains covered by the rough, old leaf bases.
- It is a solitary, unarmed, pleonanthic, monoecious feather palm.
Ecological Role
- In some regions, such as Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP), Arenga palm (specifically Arenga obtusifolia) can be invasive, inhibiting the growth of other plant species, including those that serve as food for rhinos. The text also states that in some areas where Arenga palm dominates, nothing else grows.
Traditional and Economic Uses
- Historically, it has been postulated as one of the earliest sources of sugar for humans.
- The sap is tapped to produce Arenga sugar, a natural low GI sugar with a caramel-like flavor and nutty notes.
- Capable of producing substantial amounts of ethanol per hectare annually.
- A multi-purpose palm from which a variety of foods and beverages, timber commodities, biofibres, and biopolymers can be extracted.
Quirky Facts
- The text suggests that tapping the tree extends its life.