Metroxylon salomonense (Warb.) Becc.

A sago palm. It is a solitary palm with no suckers at the base. It can grow 17 m high. The trunk can be 1.3 m across. The crown is graceful with arching fronds. There can be spines on older palms. The leaves are long with wide leaflets along the stalk. They are dark green. The flower is produce at the top of the palm. The flower is very large and takes 15-20 months for the flower to fully develop and produce seeds. The flower arrangement has branches which are spreading and drooping. The seeds are large (10 cm across). They are scaly and straw coloured. After another 2 years the palm gradually dies.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It grows in less swampy sites than sago. It needs fertile soils. It can grow up to 880 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

The starch is extracted from the trunk and eaten cooked. The palm cabbage is edible.

Plants are grown from seeds.