Characteristics
A palm like betel nut but smaller and more slender. It grows to 3.5-4.5 m high. It has a single trunk and has distinct rings due to leaf scars. The trunk is 8-12 cm across. The crown-shaft due to the leaf bases is swollen. The crown spreads 3 m across. The leaves have a mixture of wide and narrow leaflets on the one leaf. The ends of the leaflets are ragged. The flowering stalk comes below the crown-shaft. The fruit are red when ripe and 5 cm long. The seed are oval but flattened at one end.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
tree
|
| Growth support |
-
|
| Foliage retention |
deciduous
|
| Sexuality |
monoecy
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
0.08 - 0.12
|
| Mature height (meter) |
3.75 - 4.25
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
A tropical and subtropical palm. It does best in a shady position and needs plenty of water. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The nut is occasionally used as a betel substitute. The palm heart is edible.
Cultivation
Plants are grown from fresh seed. Seed germinate quickly.
| Mode |
-
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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