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Arenga pinnata
Arecaceae FAMILY

Arenga pinnata

Arenga pinnata

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
1/5

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 Tree
Growth—

A plant of the moist, lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,400 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 28°c, but can tolerate 16 - 32°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 3,000 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 2,000 - 4,000mm[2]. Prefers a deep fertile moisture-retentive but well-drained soil[3, 4]. Plants grow well in full sun, even when small[3, 2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5 - 8[2]. The plant usually produces its first flowers when around 10 - 12 years old, though it can flower as early as 5 - 6 years[4]. Depending on altitude and temperature and to a lesser degree on factors such as soil fertility, climate and competing vegetation, the palms will stay in the rosette stage for 3.5 - 6 years, and then grow to full size in another 3 - 9 years[4]. Usually after 5 - 6 years, the fibres can be collected for the first time and after that, every 2 years[4]. When the palm begins flowering, tapping for the sweet sap can start, but farmers usually wait for the first male flowers. The sap is usually tapped only from male inflorescence stalks, because female inflorescences are said to produce sap of inferior quality, and the more fibrous stalk of the females requires extra effort to prepare. Usually, the closer to the ground the male inflorescence arises, the less sap it produces. One inflorescence can produce about 5 litres of sap a day. An inflorescence of sugar palm can be tapped for 1 - 2 months, and 2 - 4 inflorescences may be tapped at a time[4]. Since sago, the starchy layer on the inner part of the trunk, is obtained only by cutting trees, it is usually the last product obtained; trees are usually cut for sago when they are more than 30 years old[4]. The black roots are very strong, extending up to 10 metres from the stem and going as deep as 3 metres[2].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and sow in deep containers. Alternatively, scratch the seed near the germination spot until the brown, inner seed-coat layer becomes visible, then soak in water overnight[4]. The seeds should then be seeded in a clean medium with good aeration, planted with the germination spot downward and covered with a 1-cm layer of sand. The sand should be kept moist at all times[4]. Within 2-3 weeks about 80% of the seeds will have germinated and can be transplanted to any type of container[4]. Germination varies from 2 - 12 months or more[3]. Direct sowing is possible but seedlings take a long time to establish well and may grow at irregular distances. Untreated seeds freely dispersed show 10-20% germination after 6 months[4]. Plants can also sometimes be propagated through suckers[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Arenga+pinnata>

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]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  5. [5]Edible Nuts. — Wickens G.E. · FAO, Rome. · 1995 · http://www.fao.org/docrep/ · ISBN 92-5-103748-5 ↩︎Detailed information on 20 of the most valuable nut crops, plus more basic information on a wide range of other nut-producing plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  6. [6]Heart of Palm Use: A Family Survey — Scott Zona, Ph.D. · Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Virtual Herbarium. · http://www.virtualherbarium.org/palmresearch/Hearts_of_Palm_table.html ↩︎An on-line article listing the botanical names and range of palm trees that have an edible apical bud.
  7. [7]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  8. [8]Useful Fiber Plants of the World — Dodge C.R. · USDA; Washington. · 1897 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
  9. [9]The Useful Plants of the Island of Guam — Safford W.E. · Smithsonian Institute; Washington. · 1905 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A very comprehensive, if rather dated, guide to the plants of Guam. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  10. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎