Difference between revisions of "Corypha utan"

Revision as of 10:18, 1 August 2012

Corypha utan

Scattered Corypha utan, in a hilly savanna, near Ayotupas, West Timor.

Scientific Classification

Genus:	Corypha
Species:	utan

Synonyms

Corypha elata

Native Continent

Asia

Morphology

Habit:	Solitary
Leaf type:	Costapalmate

Culture

Survivability index

Common names

Kennedy Palm, Gebang palm, Buri palm

Habitat and Distribution

Growing along rivers, wetlands, watercourses, floodplains and grasslands, found in, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Northern Territory, Philippines, Queensland, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Description

Trunk 10-30 m tall, 35-100 cm diameter; grey and covered in persistent leaf bases in the upper part in a typical spiral pattern. No crownshaft. Leaves costapalmate, pleated, 4-6 m long, lamina 2.36-3.0 m wide, and divided into 80-100 very deep segments, 160 x 8 cm, greyish green to blueish green, tapering to a short, forked, pointed apex, each lobe with a single midrib; ligule 1.5-2 cm above apex of the petiole; petiole 2-4 m long, channelled above with black margins and armed for the entire length with 0.3-2 cm long straight, stout spines. Flowers: Inflorescence a terminal panicle 2-5 m tall with up to 1 million yellowish to white bisexual flowers with an unpleasant odour. Flowers 3-8 mm diameter with 3 sepals and 3 petals in clusters of 5-10 in regular spirals along the 15-40 cm long branchlets of the inflorescence. Plants flower only after 30-60 years and then die (monocarpic). Fruit: Olive green to brownish, globu;lar, 15-30 mm diameter. Takes average 18 months to ripen. Seed spherical and 12-20 mm diameter.

Culture

Full sun, and lots of water. Tropical to warm temperate. Slow growing, and doesn't like being disturbed once planted. In the U.S. south Florida, and Hawaii only.

Curiosities

The sugary sap, obtained by tapping the palm top and inflorescences, is made into wine, sugar, alcohol, or vinegar. The adult leaves are used for roof thatching, manufacturing of mats and umbrellas, especially the midribs of the leaves for furniture making and constructions of interior house walls. The fibres or cutted strips, obtained from the young unfolded leaves are used in the manufacture of nets, bags, mats, sails, baskets, string, ropes, hats, cloth, and fancy articles. The terminal bud is eaten as a vegetable (palm cabbage). The young cooked fruits are consumed as sweetmeats. The hard seeds are made into rosaries, necklaces and buttons. In times of scarcity starch is extracted from the stem.