Caryota urens
Common Names: jaggery palm, toddy palm, wine palm
Family: Arecacea/Palmae (palm Family)
Palm Fast Growing Has Unusual or Interesting Foliage
Description
The toddy palm is a fast growing feather leaf palm that makes a
beautiful addition to the landscape. It grows to about 30 ft (9 m)
tall with a gray trunk that is decorated with regularly spaced leaf
scar rings. Toddy palm resembles a single trunked fishtail palm (Caryota
mitis) with which it shares many characteristics, including a leaf
shape that resembles the tail fin of a fish. When these palms reach
about 20 ft (6 m) in height, they start producing flowers at the top
of the trunk, with subsequent flowers produced lower and lower on
the trunk. When the lowest flower blooms, the tree dies.
Location
Caryota urens is an Asian species that grows naturally from India to
Burma and on the island nation of Sri Lanka. It occurs from moist
flatlands at sea level, to mountainous rain forests up to 1000 ft
(300 m) in altitude.
Culture
Light: Toddy palm thrives in full sun to part shade.
Moisture: This palm prefers a rich, moist, but well drained soil.
Hardiness: USDA Zone 9 to 10. A mature toddy palm can handle
temperatures as low as 26°F (-3°C) without damage, but young palms
must be protected from frost. Seeds obtained from populations living
at higher altitudes are more cold hardy and more frost resistant.
Propagation: Some seeds will germinate in about four months; others
may take as long as a year. Keep them warm to hasten germination.
Usage
Use this quick growing (but short lived) palm to provide texture and
interest to groupings. Also use it in shrub borders, for quick shade
over a patio, or as a lawn specimen.
Features
The sap of toddy palm is very high in simple sugars. In India and
other Asian countries, this palm is tapped for its syrup which is
often fermented into an alcoholic beverage called toddy. The syrup
is also processed into a granular sugar called jaggery.
WARNING
Avoid contact with the red fruit produced by this palm. It contains
oxalic acid which is toxic when ingested, and contact with skin may
result in severe chemical burns. |
