Characteristics
A palm with a single stem. It grows 7-8 m high. The trunk is 30-40 cm across. The leaves are twice divided. The leaf stalks are 60-70 cm long. The leaf stalks have a banding like a snake skin. The flowering stalk branches. The flowering shoots carry both male and female flowers. The plants dies after flowering. The fruit are red when ripe. The seeds are 1 cm long and black.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
tree
|
| Growth support |
free-standing
|
| Foliage retention |
deciduous
|
| Sexuality |
monoecy
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
0.3 - 0.4
|
| Mature height (meter) |
7.5 - 8.0
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
It is a tropical plant. It grows in the lowland rainforest. It grows in the southern islands in Vanuatu on Tanna. It grows from sea level to 400 m altitude. It is often close to the ocean with salt spray and high winds. It is best grown in part shade. It needs a moist well drained soil.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
-
|
Usage
The stem starch can be extracted and used as food.
| Uses |
-
|
| Edible
|
shoots
|
| Therapeutic use
|
-
|
| Human toxicity |
-
|
| Animal toxicity |
-
|
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seeds.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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