FISHTAIL PALM (Caryota Mitis)
Also known as rabok and tukas, this native palm is of this region and often found in secondary jungles, the fishtail palm is the only palm whose leaves are subdivided twice giving it a distinctive shape of a fishtail. It also has a unique way of flowering: the first flowering mop-like cluster emerges from the top of a mature palm, subsequent clusters emerge below and so on. When the cluster reaches the ground, the palm dies.
The palm also reproduces from numerous suckers growing from the base. The flowers appear in threes, one female flower in between two male ones. Fruits are roundish which turn purplish when they ripen. The fruit and the whole plant causes itching when handled because of the presence of minute needle-like crystals. The fruit wall is poisonous but the seeds are edible.
The fluff scraped off young leaves and sheaths can be used as tinder or as wadding for blowpipes darts. Durian sellers in Malaysia often lined their booths with it’s leaves. It has been reported that some natives make use of the leaf stalks of one species of fishtail palm to make arrows, so that the needles can cause irritation to the wounds inflicted by the arrow. In India, an edible starch is extracted from the stem, and the palm heart eaten The young shoot or cabbage can be eaten after the bitter taste is removed by boiling. In India, the leaves are used for thatching or woven into household items, the fibers from the leaf sheath are made into rope, and seeds made into beads. Like other palms, it is also tapped for sap which is made into palm sugar or fermented to make toddy.
The palm also reproduces from numerous suckers growing from the base. The flowers appear in threes, one female flower in between two male ones. Fruits are roundish which turn purplish when they ripen. The fruit and the whole plant causes itching when handled because of the presence of minute needle-like crystals. The fruit wall is poisonous but the seeds are edible.
The fluff scraped off young leaves and sheaths can be used as tinder or as wadding for blowpipes darts. Durian sellers in Malaysia often lined their booths with it’s leaves. It has been reported that some natives make use of the leaf stalks of one species of fishtail palm to make arrows, so that the needles can cause irritation to the wounds inflicted by the arrow. In India, an edible starch is extracted from the stem, and the palm heart eaten The young shoot or cabbage can be eaten after the bitter taste is removed by boiling. In India, the leaves are used for thatching or woven into household items, the fibers from the leaf sheath are made into rope, and seeds made into beads. Like other palms, it is also tapped for sap which is made into palm sugar or fermented to make toddy.