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Edible Palms
and Their Uses 1
Palms represent the third most
important plant family with respect to human use (Johnson, 1998). Numerous
edible products are obtained from palms, including the familiar date palm
fruits, coconut palm nuts, and various palm oils. Some less well-known edible
palm products include palm “cabbage” or “heart-of-palm”, immature inflorescences,
and sap from mature inflorescences. This article presents a fairly comprehensive
list of ‘edible’ uses for palms worldwide. Since this was designed as a guide
for the average homeowner or palm enthusiast, it includes only those uses
that do not require extensive processing. Although most palm products are
not available commercially, heart-of-palm is the basis for a large industry
in Central and South America. This industry primarily exploits thefollowing
three species, listed in descendingorder of importance (D. Johnson, pers.
comm..): Euterpe oleracea, Bactris gasipaes, and E. edulis. In smaller, localized
regions of South America, palms used for this purpose occur in the genera
Iriartea, Geonoma, and Syagrus, whereas Roystonea species are occasionally
used in the Caribbean, Borassus aethiopium is commonly used in Africa, numerous
Dypsis species are widely used in Madagascar, and various rattan genera
(such as Calamus and Daemonorops) are used in Southeast Asia. It is important
to note that most palms harvested commercially for cabbage are cut from
wild populations. In areas such as Brazil, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic,
over-exploitation has destroyed native palm stands and, in at least one
case (D.R.), the entire export trade in palm cabbage. If you purchase heart-of-palm,
please take the time to make sure that it comes from plants cultivated for
that purpose. The list of palms below represent a broad range of species
and their uses in various parts of the world. Some of the species listed
are not suitable for south Florida conditions, and this is noted where applicable.
Also provided for each species listed—when known—is the palm’s common name(s),
any known synonyms, its country or region of origin, and whether it is solitary
or clustering. The term ‘destructive,’ as it is applied below, means that
the entire plant is destroyed for a given use, while ‘nondestructive’ generally
means that individual stems are harvested from a clustering species but
the entire plant is not killed. At the end of the article, the palms from
the alphabetical list are organized into tables based on their uses. Of
course, the fact that an item is edible does not mean that it is pleasant
to consume!
1. This document is Fact Sheet MDCE-00-50
of the UF/Miami-Dade County Extension office, 18710 SW 288th St., Homestead,
FL 33030. First published: November 2000.
2. Jody Haynes, Program Extension Agent,
Florida Yards & Neighborhoods, UF/Miami-Dade County Extension, 18710
SW 288th St., Homestead, FL 33030.
3. John McLaughlin, Program Assistant, Urban
Horticulture, UF/Miami-Dade County Extension, 18710 SW 288th St., Homestead,
FL 33030.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer authorized to provide research, educational information and
other services only to individuals and institutions that function without
regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. For information
on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative
Extension Service office. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Institute
of Food and Agricultural Sciences / University of Florida / Christine Waddill,
Dean
| Acanthophoenix rubra
(solitary - Mascarene Islands) |
Edible
cabbage |
| Actinorytis
callaparia (solitary - New Guinea, Solomon Islands) |
Seeds
are sometimes used as a substitute for betelnut (which come from Areca catechu),
but are very strong in a narcotic way and reportedly ‘knock you out’ for
several hours; edible palm heart (destructive) |
| Acrocomia
aculeata (syn. A. lasiospatha, A. sclerocarpa) - Macaw or mucuja palm (solitary
– Martinique, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica) |
Young
leaves eaten as a vegetable; edible sweet kernel in seed; oily, somewhat
bitter edible fruit; wine produced by this palm has the local name of coyol
in Costa Rica (semi-destructive) |
| Adonidia
merrillii (syn. Veitchia merrillii) – Christmas, manilla, adonidia palm (solitary
- Phillipines) |
Seeds
sometimes used as substitute for betelnut |
| Aiphanes
spp. - Ruffle palms (solitary - Central and South America) |
Fruit
and endosperm (flesh inside hard seed) edible |
| Allagoptera
arenaria (syn. Diplothemium maritimum) - Seashore palm, cacandó is
local name - (clustering - East coast of Brazil) |
Sweet,
though fibrous fruit |
| A. brevicalyx
– Buri da praia is local name (clustering – Brazil) |
Edible
fruit |
| A. campestris
– Buri is local name (clustering – Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina) |
Edible
immature fruit |
| A. leucocalyx
– (clustering – Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina) |
Mesocarp
and seeds edible |
| Alloschmidia
glabrata (solitary – New Caledonia – not suitable to high pH soils) |
Edible
palm heart (destructive) |
| Aphandra
natalia – Piassaba is the local name (solitary – Ecuador, Peru, Brazil) |
Edible
immature fruit |
| Archontophoenix
spp. (solitary - Australia) |
Edible
cabbage |
| Areca
catechu (syn. A. hortensis) - Betelnut palm, catechu (solitary probably
originated in Malaysia or the Phillipines, but is now widely distributed
in many tropical regions) |
Seed
is the source of the betel nut which is chewed by millions of people as a
stimulant; edible cabbage |
| A. caliso
(Phillipines); A. concinna - Lenateri is local name (Sri Lanka, Ceylon);
A. guppyana (New Guinea, Solomon Islands); A. laxa (Andaman Islands); A. triandra var. triandra (much of Southeast Asia) |
Seeds
sometimes used as substitute
for betelnut |
| A. ipot
– Bungang-ipot is local name; A. hutchinsoniana – Bunga is local name;
A. macrocarpa – Bungang-lakihan
is local name; A. parens
– Takobtob is local name (solitary - Phillipines) |
Edible
cabbage (destructive) |
| A. listeri
(solitary - Christmas Island) |
Edible cabbage (destructive) |
| A. macrocalyx
(solitary - Irian Jaya) |
Nuts
used as betel substitute;
edible heart (destructive) |
| Areca
spp. (Southeast Asia) |
Seed
of many other species used
as betelnut substitute |
| Arenga
pinnata (syn. A. saccharifera) - Areng or black sugar palm (solitary - India,
Southeast Asia, Malaysia,
Indonesia) |
The
sugary sap from the cut
inflorescence makes a fresh drink called saguir, but is also
dried into arenga sugar
and fermented into arrack, a distilled liquor; the bud and seed
are also edible (but the
fruit contains calcium oxalate and is not edible); edible cabbage;
sago, a starch, is also
made from the pith |
| A. microcarpa
(clustering – Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea) |
Edible
palm heart (nondestructive) |
| A. obtusifolia
– Langkap is local name (clustering – Peninsular Malaysia,
Sumatra, Java) |
Edible
palm heart (non-destructive) and endosperm |
| A. undulatifolia
- Oren Gelora is local name (clustering - Borneo, Phillipines) |
Edible cabbage |
| A. wightii
– Dhudasal, alam panei are local names (clustering – India) |
Peduncle
tapped for sap |
| Astrocaryum
acaule (Brazil) |
Fibrous
and fleshy fruit rich in
Vitamin A |
| A. aculeatum
– Chonta is local name (Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia) |
Fruit
mesocarp edible |
| A. campestre
– Jarivá is local name (Brazil, Bolivia) |
Edible
fruit |
| A. jauari
– Jauari is local name (Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Peru,
Brazil) |
Edible
palm heart |
| A. mexicanum
- Chocho or waree palm (solitary - Mexico to Guatemala) |
Shoots,
heart (destructive), and
flowers edible |
| A. murumuru
(clustering – Colombia, Venezuela, Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia) |
Edible
fruit with juicy, aromatic flavor |
| A. tucuma
(Brazil) |
Fibrous
and fleshy fruit rich in
Vitamin A |
| A. vulgare
(Suriname, French Guyana, Brazil) |
Fruit
mesocarp used to make mash |
| Attalea
allenii – Taparín is local names (solitary – Panama, Colombia) |
Fruit
edible |
| A. butyracea
(syn. Scheelea bassleriana, S. brachyclada, S. butyracea) - Palma
del vino or American oil
palm (solitary - South America) |
Sweet
sap from severed trunk is fermented into wine (destructive);
fruit edible |
| A. cohune
(syn. Orbignya cohune) - Cohune or American oil palm (solitary - southern Mexico to Belize) |
Edible
fruit, nuts, and heart
(destructive) |
| A. crassispatha
(solitary – Haiti) |
Fruit
eaten by children |
| A. maripa
(syn. Maximiliana regia, M. maripa) - Inaja or curcurite palm (solitary -
Brazil) |
Edible
leaf bud (destructive) and fruit |
| A. martiana
- Urucuri palm (solitary - Amazonia) |
Cultivated
in Trinidad for its fruit,
which reportedly tastes like dates |
| A. spectabilis
- American oil palm (solitary - Amazonia) |
Edible
fruit |
| Bactris brongniartii
– Marajá and chacarrá are local names (clustering – Colombia, Venezuela, Guianas, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia) |
Edible
fruit |
| B. concinna
– Shiní is local name (clustering - Amazonia) |
Edible
fruit |
| B. gasipaes
- Peach palm or pejibaye (clustering - Central America to Amazonian Brazil) |
Fruit
is delicious, boiled or roasted; this palm is the basis for a commercial (nondestructive) heart-of-palm industry in Central and South America |
| B. guineensis
- Tobago cane (clustering - South America, West Indies) |
Edible
fruit; fruit also used
to make a wine |
| B. macana
– Contilla is local name (clustering – Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil,
Bolivia) |
Edible
fruit |
| B. major
- Maraja palm (clustering – Central America and northern South America) |
Edible
fruit and wine |
| B. maraja
- Maraja palm (clustering - South America, West Indies) |
Edible
fruit and wine |
| B. plumeriana
– Coco macaco is local name (clustering – Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica) |
Edible
fruit |
| Balaka
longirostris – Mbalaka is local name (solitary – Fiji – not suitable to
high pH soils) |
Edible
kernel |
| Borassodendron
borneense – Bidang is local name (solitary – Borneo) |
Edible
palm heart (destructive)
and immature fruit endosperm |
| Borassus
aethiopium – African palmyra palm (solitary – Tropical Africa) |
Important
food source providing edible
fruit, nuts, and cabbage
(destructive); sap from cut inflorescence provides a drink; sap
also processed into wine,
alcohol, or vinegar and dried into sugar cakes; the sinker
(first bladeless juvenile leaf from the seed) is a delicacy |
| B. flabellifer
- Tal-gas or palmyra palm (solitary - India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia,
New Guinea) |
Similar
uses as listed for B. aethiopium
above; this palm has over 5000 uses in Sri Lanka |
| B. madagascariensis
– Dimaka and marandravina are local names (solitary – Madagascar) |
Edible
palm heart (destructive) |
| Brahea
aculeata - Palmilla is local name (solitary – Mexico – not suited to
humid tropics) |
Edible
fruit |
| B. edulis
- Guadalupe palm (solitary - endemic to Guadalupe - not suited to humid tropics) |
Named
“edulis” for its edible fruit |
| B. dulcis
- Rock or sombrero palm (solitary - Mexico – not suited to humid tropics) |
Named
“dulcis” for the flavor of its fruit |
| Butia
capitata (syn. Cocos australis, C. capitata) - Pindo or jelly palm (solitary - Brazil, Uraguay – cold-hardy palm not suited
to tropics) |
Excellent
edible fruit, either fresh or when made into jelly |
| B. eriospatha
– Butia is local name (solitary – Brazil) |
Fruit
used to flavor alcoholic drink |
| B. yatay
- Yatay palm (solitary - Argentina, Uruguay) |
Edible
fruit |
| Calamus
paspalanthus - Rattan palm (clustering/climbing - Southeast Asia) |
Edible
palm heart (non-destructive), sour fruit |
| C. rotang
- Rattan palm (clustering/climbing - Southeast Asia) |
Fruit
eaten fresh or pickled |
| C. tonkinensis
- Rattan palm, may dang is local name (clustering/climbing - Vietnam) |
Seeds chewed |
| C. vanauatuensis
– Loya ken is local name (clustering/climbing – Vanuatu) |
Stem
sap drunk and used as ointment |
| Calamus
spp. - Rattan palms (clustering/ climbing – Southeast Asia) |
Palm
hearts of many species
eaten cooked in parts of Asia (non-destructive); fruit of many species edible |
| Calospatha
scortechinii – Rotan demuk is local name (clustering/climbing – Peninsular Malaysia) |
Fruit
edible |
| Carpoxylon
macrospermum – Carpoxylon palm, bungool is local name (solitary – Vanuatu) |
Fruit
eaten |
| Caryota
mitis – Clustering fishtail palm (clustering – Southeast Asia) |
Edible
palm heart (non-destructive) |
| C. no
– Giant fishtail palm, entibap mudol is local name (solitary – Borneo) |
Edible
palm heart (destructive) |
| C. rumphiana
– Solitary fishtail palm, takipan is local name (solitary – Phillipines,
Indonesia) |
Edible
palm heart (destructive) |
| C. urens
- Toddy fishtail, jaggery palm, or kitul (solitary - India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Ceylon) |
Sweet
sap from inflorescence can be drunk fresh (toddy) or boiled to
produce sugar (jaggery);
toddy can be fermented and distilled to alcohol (arrack) or to
vinegar; palm heart also used locally as flour (destructive), especially for control of diabetes and in auruvedic medicines; fruit contains calcium oxalate and is not edible |
| Chamaedorea
elegans - Parlour palm, Neanthe Bella (solitary - Central America) |
Unopened inflorescences eaten raw or cooked |
| C. tepejilote
- Tepejilote palm (solitary - Central America) |
A substantial
industry has developed
around this palm in South America, where selectively propagated
plants are grown for the
young male inflorescences, called pacaya |
| Chamaerops
humilis - Mediterranean or European fan palm (clustering - western Mediterranean – not suited to humid
tropics) |
Fruits
are eaten in Morocco; heart (“palmito”) is consumed in Spain (nondestructive); young suckers are eaten cooked in Italy |
| Clinostigma
harlandii – Ngami igh is local name (solitary – Vanuatu – requires tropical conditions) |
Fruit
mesocarp and palm heart edible (destructive) |
| Coccothrinax
argentea - Silver palm (solitary - Caribbean) |
Very
young leaves eaten as a vegetable, raw or cooked |
| Cocos
nucifera - Coconut palm (solitary - tropical and subtropical regions worldwide) |
This
palm has literally thousands of uses, but here are just a few: · Coconut water is the juice in the full size but still immature fruit; it is a natural drink with similar constituents to athletes’ rehydration aids (and has also been used to replace blood plasma in emergency surgery). · Coconut milk and coconut cream are emulsions of coconut oil and water obtained by shredding and squeezing fresh endosperm (kernel or meat from inside nut). These products, along with coconut oil itself, contain no cholesterol and, when used in cooking, are readily digestible and enhance the quality of the food. Interesting medical research suggests that coconut oil is beneficial as part of AIDS treatment. · Endosperm can be shredded and dried (and sometimes sweetened)—which is known as desiccated coconut. · Sap can be tapped from the inflorescence and drunk fresh (toddy) or boiled to produce sugar (jaggery); toddy can be fermented and distilled to alcohol (arrack) or to vinegar. · The haustorium inside the sprouted nut slightly resembles an “apple”. · Coconut heart can be obtained from any palm more than three years old and heart from a mature palm can produce up to 70 side salads. When fresh, it is sweeter and “nuttier” than heart-of-palm from other species (destructive, but recommended for those areas where palms are over-aged or are threatened by lethal yellowing disease and need to be replaced by high yielding, disease resistant varieties). · Coconut pollen, collected naturally by bees or mechanically by plant breeders, can be found in health food stores |
| Corypha
utan (syn. C. eltata) – Gebang palm (solitary – Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillipines) |
Sap
from inflorescence used to make wine and sugar; edible palm heart (destructive); edible fruit |
| Cryosophila
nana - Root-spine palm (solitary - Mexico) |
Fruit
eaten fresh or fermented into wine |
| C. williamsii
– Mojarilla is local name (solitary – Honduras) |
Edible
palm heart (destructive) |
| Cyphosperma
tanga – Tangga is local name (Fiji) |
Seed
and palm heart edible |
| Daemonorops
cristata - Rattan palm, wi getah is local name (clustering/climbing - Sarawak) |
Fruit
exudates used as gum; fruit eaten by children |
| D. didymophylla
- Rattan palm, wi getah and rotan jernang are local names (clustering/ climbing - Sarawak) |
Sarcotesta
sweet and juicy; fruit
used in traditional medicine |
| D. fissa
- Rattan palm, rotan kotok is local name (clustering/climbing - Sarawak) |
Fruit slightly sweet, edible; palm heart
edible, sold locally (non-destructive) |
| D. periacantha
- Rattan palm, wi empunok is local name (clustering/climbing - Sarawak) |
Edible
palm heart (non-destructive) and fruit |
| D. scapigera
- Rattan palm (clustering/climbing - Borneo) |
Edible
fruit |
| Daemonorops
spp. – Rattan palms (clustering/climbing
– Southeast Asia) |
Fruit and palm heart (non-destructive) of
many species edible |
| Desmoncus
cirrhiferus – New World rattan palm, matamba and bora negra are local names (clustering/climbing – Colombia, Ecuador) |
Fruit
edible |
| Dypsis
ampasindavae – Lavaboka is local name; D. ankaizinensis – laboka and hovatra are local names; D. basilonga – madiovozona is local name; D. canaliculata – lopaka and monimony are local names; D. hovomantsin – hovomantsina is local name; D. ligulata; D. perrieri – besofina and menamosona are local names; D. pilulifera – ovomamy is local name; D. prestoniana – tavilo is local name; D. tsaratananensis – kindro is local name; D. tsaravoasira – tsaravoasira is local name (Madagascar) D. baronii – farihazo and tongalo are local names; D. madagascariensis – hirihiry and kizohazo are local names; D. utilis – vonitra is local name (Madagascar) |
Edible
fruit and palm heart |
| Eleiodoxa
conferta (clustering, closely related to Salacca - Indonesia, Malaysia) |
Edible
fruit, used to make pickles
and relishes; edible palm
heart (non-destructive) |
| Eugeissona
brachystachys – Tahan bertam is local name (clustering – Peninsular
Malaysia – requires tropical
climate) |
Edible
immature endosperm |
| E. insignis
– Pantu kejatau is local name (clustering – Sarawak – requires tropical climate) |
Palm
heart and young fruit edible (non-destructive) |
| E. tristis
– Bertam is local name (clustering – Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand – requires tropical climate) |
Edible
immature fruit |
| E. utilis
– Nanga is local name (clustering – Borneo – requires tropical climate) |
Palm heart edible (non-destructive); purple
flower pollen used as condiment |
| Euterpe
catinga (Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil – requires tropical climate) |
Fruits used to make drink |
| E. edulis
– Assai palm, palmito, jucara, yayin (solitary - Ecuador, Argentina – requires tropical climate) |
Reduced
to rarity through commercial
harvesting (destructive) of heartof- palm; named “edulis” for its edible cabbage |
| E. oleracea
- Assai or acai palm (clustering – Brazil – requires tropical climate) |
Fruit
used locally to make a
popular thick liquid called acai or assai; terminal bud also edible |
| E. precatoria
– Paná is local name (Amazonia – requires tropical climate) |
Edible
palm heart |
| Gastrococos
crispa - Cuban belly palm (solitary - Cuba) |
Endosperm
of seeds sometimes eaten
in Cuba, which reportedly tastes like coconut |
| Geonoma
spp. (solitary - Central and South America) |
Reduced
to rarity due to harvesting
of edible cabbage (destructive) |
| Gulubia
cylindrocarpa – Niulip is local name (solitary – Vanuatu – requires tropical climate) |
Edible
fruit and palm heart (destructive) |
| Heterospathe
elata - Sagisi palm (solitary - Phillipines) |
Seed
sometimes used as a substitute
for betelnut |
| H. elmeri
(solitary – Phillipines) |
Seed sometimes used as a substitute for
betelnut |
| Hyophorbe
spp. - Bottle and spindle palms (solitary - Mascarene Islands) |
Edible
seeds |
| Hyphaene
dichotoma (syn. H. indica) – Indian doum palm, oka mundel is local name (solitary – India) |
Fibrous
fruit mesocarp and unripe
kernel eaten |
| H. petersiana
– African ivory nut palm (solitary – tropical Africa). |
Palm
wine made by fermenting
mesocarp pulp and from sap by tapping flower bud (non-destructive);
fibrous mesocarp also eaten
fresh; palm wine distilled
into spirits; palm heart edible (destructive) |
| H. thebaica
– Doum or gingerbread palm (solitary - Coastal northern and eastern Africa). |
Second
common name comes from the flavor of the fruit |
| Iriartea
spp. – Stilt-root palms (solitary - Central and South America – requires tropical climate). |
Edible
terminal bud (destructive). Juania australis - Chonta is local
name (solitary - Juan Fernandez
Islands). Edible fruit |
| Jubaea
chilensis - Chilean wine palm (solitary - Chile - adapted to Mediterranean climates and unsuitable for humid tropics) |
Sweet
sap from which wine, palm
honey, or sugar can be
produced (destructive); edible fruit called “coquito nuts” which taste like coconu |
| Jubaeopsis
caffra - Kaffir or pandoland palm (clustering - South Africa - not suited
to humid tropics) |
Edible
seeds |
| Kentiopsis
pyriformis (solitary – New Caledonia – requires tropical climate) |
Destruction
of this palm for its edible
heart has resulted in its
critical endangerment |
| Latania
spp. - Latan palms (solitary - Mascarene Islands) |
Edible
seeds |
| Leopoldinia
piassaba – Piassaba and chiquichique are local names (solitary
– Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil) |
Thin
flesh of fruit agitated
with water to a make a popular local drink |
| Licuala
valida – Pala (solitary – Sarawak) |
Palm heart edible (destructive) |
| Linospadix
monostachya - Walking stick palm (solitary – northern Australia) |
Long
strings of waxy, red, ovoid
fruit are pleasant to chew but not substantial as food |
| Livistona
australis - Australian fan palm (solitary - Australia) |
Young
tender leaves edible (non-destructive) |
| Livistona
spp. (solitary - Australia) |
Edible cabbage (destructive) |
| Loxococcus
rupicola - Dotalu is local name (Ceylon, Sri Lanka) |
Seeds
used as substitute for
betelnut; edible palm heart |
| Marojejya
insignis – menamosa and beondroka are local names (solitary - Madagascar
– requires tropical climate) |
Edible
palm heart (destructive) |
| Mauritia
flexuosa - Ita palm or ‘Tree of Life’ (solitary - South America – requires
tropical climate) |
Fruit
edible after cooking; edible sap; pulp can be eaten directly or
dried and made into flour
or fermented into alcohol (destructive) |
| Mauritiella
aculeata (clustering - South America – requires tropical climate) |
Fruit
edible after cooking |
| Nannorrhops
ritchiana - Mazari palm (clustering - Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan
- not suited to humid tropics) |
Edible
seeds, harvested locally;
very young leaves eaten as a vegetable, raw or cooked |
| Neoveitchia
storckii (solitary - Fiji) |
Immature fruit edible |
| Nypa
fruticans - Mangrove palm or nipah, golpata is local name (clustering -
Asia, Western Pacific) |
Sweet
sap from inflorescence
can be boiled to produce sugar; immature fruit edible |
| Oenocarpus
bacaba (syn. Jessenia bacaba) - Bacaba wine palm (solitary - Central America to Brazil/Bolivia – requires
tropical climate) |
Fruit
is source of colorless, sweet oil; fruit also fermented into wine |
| O. bataua
(syn. Jessenia polycarpa – Trinidad to Panama); O. distichus (Brazil). [both
require tropical climate] |
Edible
fruit; sap used locally
as a beverage or boiled as oil |
| O. distichus
– Bacaba palm (solitary – Brazil, Bolivia – requires tropical climate) |
Fruit used to make a beverage |
| O. mapora
(syn. O. multicaulis)– Jephue isá is local name (solitary – Costa Rica,
Panama, Colombia, Venezuela,
Peru, Bolivia, Brazil – requires tropical climate) |
Edible
fruits |
| Oncosperma
horridum – Nibong (clustering – Sarawak) |
Palm
heart edible (nondestructive) |
| O. tigillarium
(syn. O. filamentosum) - Nibung palm or katu kittul (clustering - Sumatra, Borneo, Java, peninsular Malaysia) |
Heart used as a vegetable (cooked or raw)
and in salads (non-destructive) |
| Oncosperma
spp. - (solitary or clustering) |
Seeds sometimes used as a substitute for
betelnut in the Phillipines |
| Parajubaea
cocoides, P. torallyi - (solitary - Ecuador to Colombia - not suited to
humid tropics) |
Edible
fruit (endocarps), with the local names of “coco”, “coquillo”, “janchicoco” or “monococo”; local people also make a refreshing drink from
the sap. Pelagodoxa henryana
- (solitary - Marquesas
Islands – requires tropical climate). Edible seeds |
| Phoenix
acaulis – Date palm, khajur is local name (solitary – India) |
Edible
fruit and heart (destructive) |
| P. canariensis
- Canary Island date palm (solitary - Canary Islands). |
Fruit
have been eaten by humans
in times of need and used as animal fodder in the Canary Islands;
sap is still extensively
extracted in La Gomera (Canaries) to produce “Miel de Palma”, which is the condensed sap that tastes somewhat like maple syrup |
| P. dactylifera
- Edible or ‘true’ date palm (solitary or clustering - North Africa,
Middle East, India - not
suited to humid tropics). |
Fruit
is of singular importance, as it is a staple part of the diet of millions
of people; sap from tapped
inflorescence used to make sugar (non-destructive) |
| P. farinifera
– Date palm; P. loureirii – Date palm , khajoor is local name; P. paludosa
– Date palm, hantal is
local name (solitary - India) |
Edible
fruit |
| P. pusila
- Date palm (solitary) |
Edible
fruit |
| P. reclinata
- Senegal date palm (clustering - tropical Africa). |
Sap
from tapped inflorescence
used to make sugar (nondestructive); edible fruit and seeds; roasted seeds used as coffee substitute |
| P. sylvestris
- Silver date or sugar date palm, khajuriis and thakil are local names
(solitary – India, Nepal) |
Sap
from tapped inflorescence
used to make wine or sugar (non-destructive); edible fruit |
| P. zeylanica
- Date palm, indi is local name (solitary – Sri Lanka) |
Edible
fruit |
| Phytelephas
macrocarpa (syn. P. microcarpa) – American ivory nut palm, yarina and
col ecu are local names
(solitary - South America – source of vegetable ivory – requires
tropical climate) |
Palatable
liquid in immature fruit; immature fruit endosperm also edible |
| Pinanga
duperreana – Sla condor is local name (Kampuchea, Laos, Vietnam) |
Edible
palm heart; nuts used a
betel substitute |
| P. mooreana
– Pinang murind is local name (Sarawak). |
Fruit
edible |
| Pinanga
spp. - Pinang palms (solitary or clustering - southern China, northern
India, Southeast Asia,
Phillipines, Indonesia, New Guinea) |
Seeds
sometimes used as substitute for betelnut |
| Plectocomiopsis
geminiflora – Rattan palm, ialis and rotan pa are local names (clustering/ climbing – Malaysia; Indonesia; Brunei; Thailand) |
Palm
heart edible (nondestructive) |
| Polyandrococos
caudescens - Buri palm (solitary - Brazil) |
Succulent
edible fruit |
| Prestoea
spp. (solitary – Central America, Puerto Rico) |
Reduced
to rarity in parts of their ranges due to harvesting of edible
cabbage (destructive) |
| Pritchardiopsis
jeanneneyi (solitary – New Caledonia) |
Destruction
of this palm for its edible
heart has resulted in its near extinction |
| Pseudophoenix
ekmanii – Cacheo is local name (solitary – Dominican Republic) |
Former source of palm wine by felling tree (destructive) |
| P. vinifera
- Cherry or wine palm, cacheo and katié are local names (solitary
– Dominican Republic, Haiti) |
Sweet
sap was once extracted
by tapping the bulge in the trunk and fermented into wine (damaging)
or felling the tree (destructive) |
| Ptychococcus
spp. (solitary - New Guinea, Solomon Islands) |
Edible
seeds |
| Raphia
hookeri, R. vinifera - Raffia palms (clustering - Africa) |
Juice
produced after removing
immature inflorescence used to make palm wine |
| Ravenea
albicans – hozatsiketra is local name; R. dransfieldii – anivo and ovotsarorona
are local names; R. glauca
– anivo and sihara are local names (solitary – Madagascar) |
Edible palm heart (destructive) |
| R. sambiranensis
– anivo and mafabely are local names (solitary – Madagascar) |
Edible
fruit and palm heart (destructive) |
| Rhopalostylis
sapida - Nikau palm (solitary - New Zealand, Chatham Islands - not
adapted to hot, humid tropics) |
Young
inflorescence, sap, and
heart (destructive) edible; pith is slightly laxative and was eaten by
pregnant women to relax
pelvic muscles, and the sap was drunk as a further aid to ease
labour in childbirth |
| Roystonea
spp. (syn. Oreodoxa spp.) - Royal palms (solitary - southern Florida,
Caribbean, Central and
South America) |
Many
used as a source of cabbage
(destructive); fruits are a source of oil |
| Sabal
mexicana - Mexican sabal palm, jippa joppa, palma de sombrero, soyate (solitary
– southern Texas, Mexico) |
Shoots,
fruit, and especially heart
(destructive) edible |
| S. palmetto
- Sabal or cabbage palm (solitary - southeastern U. S., Bahamas, West Indies) |
Terminal
bud harvested for cabbage (destructive); fruit edible but stringent |
| S. pumos
(solitary- Mexico). |
Edible
fruit |
| Salacca
affinis – Salak, ridan are local names (clustering – Malaysia, Indonesia) |
Edible fruit and palm heart (non-destructive) |
| S. glabrescens
– Salak is local name (clustering – Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand).
|
Edible fruit |
| S. vermicularis
– Kepla is local name (clustering – Borneo) |
Edible
fruit and palm heart (nondestructive) |
| S. wallichiana
(clustering – Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand; Vietnam; Laos; Kampuchea; China; Myanmar) |
Edible
fruit used in curry |
| S. zalacca
– Salak is local name (clustering – Java and Sumatra) |
Edible
fruit |
| Salacca
spp. - Salak or snake palms (clustering - Indonesia, Malaysia) |
Edible
fruit and nuts in many
other species |
| Sclerosperma
spp |
Edible
seeds |
| Serenoa
repens - Saw palmetto (clustering - southeastern U. S.). |
Fruit
is edible and is used
medicinally to treat prostate cancer, among other things; honey from bees
that visit the flowers
is prized |
| Syagrus
cardenasii – Corocito is local name (Bolivia) |
Edible
fruit |
| S. comosa
– Babo is local name (solitary - Brazil) |
Edible
fruit and palm heart (destructive) |
| S. coronata
- Licury palm; S. flexuosa – Acum is local name (solitary - Brazil) |
Edible
fruit |
| S. oleracea
– Catolé is local name (solitary – Brazil) |
Edible
fruit and palm hear |
| S. romanzoffiana
– Queen palm, pindó is local name (solitary – Brazil, Paraguay,
Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia) |
Edible
fruit and palm heart (destructive) |
| S. schizophylla
- Arikury palm, aricuriroba is local name (solitary - Brazil) |
Edible
fruit |
| S. smithii
– Catolé is local name (solitary – Colombia, Peru, Brazil) |
Edible
seeds |
| Trachycarpus
fortunei - Chinese windmill or chusan palm (solitary or clustering
– China – not adapted to
humid tropics) |
Unopened inflorescences eaten raw or cooked;
edible flowers; roots,
leaves, and flowers contain medicinal compounds |
| Veitchia
arecina – Veitchia palm (solitary – Vanuatu) |
Palm
heart harvested locally for tourist restaurants (destructive) |
| V. joannis
– Joannis palm, niusawa is local name (solitary – Fiji) |
Seed
and palm heart edible (destructive) |
| V. vitiensis
– Kaivatu is local name (solitary – Fiji) |
Palm
heart (destructive), seed, and inflorescence all edible |
| Voanioala
gerardii – Forest coconut palm, voanioala is local name (solitary – Madagascar) |
Edible
palm heart (destructive) |
| Washingtonia
filifera - California fan palm, desert palm (solitary - California,
Arizona – not adapted to
humid tropics) |
Edible fruit |
| W. robusta
- Mexican fan palm (solitary - Mexico, Baja California) |
Edible
fruit |
| Welfia
spp. (solitary – Central America – requires tropical climate) |
Reduced
to rarity in parts of their
ranges due to harvesting
of edible cabbage (destructive) |
Table 1. Palms with edible vegetative parts |
||
| Destructive cabbage: |
||
| Acanthophoenix
rubra |
Acrocomia
aculeata |
Alloschmidia
glabrata |
| Archontophoenix
spp. |
Areca
listeri |
A. macrocalyx |
| Areca
spp. (Phillipines) |
Arenga
pinnata |
A. undulatifolia |
| Astrocaryum
mexicanum |
Attalea
cohune |
A. maripa |
| Borassodendron
borneense |
Borassus
aethiopium |
B. flabellifer |
| B. madagascariensis |
Caryota
no |
C. rumphiana |
| C. urens |
Clinostigma
harlandii |
Cocos
nucifera |
| Corypha
utan |
Cryosophila
williamsii |
Dypsis
spp. (Madagascar)1 |
| Euterpe
edulis |
Geonoma
spp. |
Gulubia
cylindrocarpa |
| Hyphaene
petersiana2 |
Iriartea
spp. |
Kentiopsis
pyriformis |
| Licuala
valida |
Livistona
spp. |
Marojejya
insignis |
| Mauritia
flexuosa |
Phoenix
acaulis |
Prestoea
spp. |
| Pritchardiopsis
jeanneneyi |
Ravenea
albicans |
R. sambiranensis |
| Rhopalostylis
sapida |
Roystonea
spp. |
Sabal
mexicana |
| S. palmetto |
Syagrus
comosa |
S. oleracea |
| S. romanzoffiana |
Trachycarpus
fortunei |
Veitchia
arecina |
| V. joannis |
V. vitiensis |
Voanioala
gerardii |
| Welfia
spp. |
||
| Non-destructive cabbage |
||
| Arenga
microcarpa |
Arenga
obtusifolia |
Astrocaryum
jauari2 |
| Bactris
gasipaes |
Calamus
spp. |
Caryota
mitis |
| Chamaerops
humilis |
Cyphosperma
tanga3 |
Daemonorops
spp. |
| Eleiodoxa
conferta |
Eugeissona
insignis |
E. utilis |
| Euterpe
oleracea |
E. precatoria3 |
Oncosperma
horridum |
| O. tigillarium |
Pinanga
duperreana3 |
Plectocomiopsis
geminiflora |
| Salacca
affinis |
S. vermicularis |
|
| Other non-destructive uses: |
||
| Inflorescence: |
Chamaedorea
elegans |
C. tepejilote |
| Rhopalostylis
sapida |
Veitchia vitiensis |
|
| Immature
leaf: |
Coccothrinax
argentea |
Livistona
australis |
| Nannorrhops ritchiana |
||
| Pollen: |
Eugeissona
utilis |
|
Table 2. Palms with edible fruit |
||
| Eaten raw: |
||
| Acrocomia
aculeata |
Aiphanes
spp. |
Allagoptera
arenaria |
| A. brevicalyx |
A. campestris |
A. leucocalyx |
| Aphandra
natalia |
Astrocaryum
acaule |
A. aculeatum |
| A. campestre |
A. murumuru |
A. tucuma |
| A. vulgare |
Attalea
allenii |
A. butyracea |
| A. cohune |
A. crassispatha |
A. maripa |
| A. martiana |
A. spectabilis |
Bactris
brongniartii |
| B. concinna |
B. plumeriana |
Borassodendron
borneense |
| Borassus
aethiopium |
B. flabellifer |
Brahea
aculeata |
| B. edulis |
B. dulcis |
Butia
capitata |
| B. eriospatha |
B. yatay |
Calamus
paspalanthus |
| C. rotang |
Calamus
spp. (SE Asia) |
Calospatha
scortechinii |
| Carpoxylon
macrospermum |
Chamaerops
humilis |
Clinostigma
harlandii |
| Cocos
nucifera |
Corypha
utan |
Cryosophila
nana |
| Daemonorops
cristata |
D. didymophylla |
D. fissa |
| D. periacantha |
D. scapigera |
Daemonorops
spp. (SE Asia) |
| Desmoncus
cirrhiferus |
Dypsis
baronii |
D. madagascariensis |
| D. utilis |
Eleiodoxa
conferta |
Eugeissona
brachystachys |
| E. insignis |
E. tristis |
Euterpe
catinga |
| Gulubia
cylindrocarpa |
Hyophorbe
spp. |
Hyphaene
dichotoma |
| H. petersiana |
H. thebaica |
Juania
australis |
| Linospadix
monostachya |
Maximiliana
regia |
Nannorrhops
ritchiana |
| Neoveitchia
storckii |
Nypa
fruticans |
Oenocarpus
bataua |
| O. mapora |
Phoenix
acaulis |
P. canariensis |
| P. dactylifera |
P. farinifera |
P. pusila |
| P. reclinata |
P. sylvestris |
P. zeylanica |
| Phytelephas
macrocarpa |
Pinanga
mooreana |
Polyandrococos
caudescens |
| Ravenea
sambiranensis |
Sabal
palmetto |
Sabal
pumos |
| Salacca
spp. |
Serenoa
repens |
Syagrus
cardenasii |
| S. comosa |
S. coronata |
S. flexuosa |
| S. oleracea |
S. schizophylla |
S. smithii |
| Syagrus
spp. (South America) |
Washingtonia
filifera |
W. robusta |
| Fruit eaten cooked: |
||
| Bactris
gasipaes |
B. guineensis |
B. major |
| B. maraja |
Cocos
nucifera |
Mauritia
flexuosa |