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Arenga engleri
Arecaceae FAMILY

Arenga engleri

Arenga engleri

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

The fruits of most species in this genus are poisonous and are sometimes used criminally[1]. The fleshy mesocarp of the fruits usually contains many oxalate crystals, making the flesh inedible[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Established plant can tolerant occasional lows of -5°c[2]. Requires a sunny, moist, but well drained position[3]. Succeeds in light shade[2]. Individual stems do not flower until they are mature. A flowering shoot is produced from each node on the stem, commencing with the node at the top of the plant and working down to the base. Vegetative growth ceases when the first flowering shoot is produced, and the stem dies once flowers have been produced from the basal node[4, 1]. Multi-stemmed species, such as this one, usually produce new stems and so the plant does not die when individual stems die[4, 2].

Propagation

Seed - difficult to germinate[3]. It can take 4 - 26 weeks[2]. A deep root is formed before the seedling emerges above soil level, and so the seed should be sown in individual, deep containers. Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water before sowing. It can take 3 - 6 months or more before signs of growth are seen above soil level[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Arenga+engleri>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  2. [2]Desert Tropicals — http://www.desert-tropicals.com/ ↩︎The main focus of the site is succulent plants, but it also contains information on a wide range of other species. Usually at least one good photograph, plus basic information about the plant and its cultivation.
  3. [3]Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia. — http://www.pacsoa.org.au/ ↩︎Contains at least a little information on the majority of palm and cycad species, plus a wealth of photographs. A first class website.
  4. [4]Palms of the World — Blombery. A. & Rodd. T. · Angus and Robertson · 1992 · ISBN 0-207-14848-1 ↩︎An excellent guide, well illustrated, with information on cultivation, uses, habitat etc of almost 200 species of Palms.
  5. [5]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  6. [6]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  7. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎