| Arenga pinnata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Arenga |
| Species: | A. pinnata |
| Binomial name | |
| Arenga pinnata | |
Arenga pinnata (syn.Arenga saccharifera) is an economically importantfeather palm native to tropicalAsia, from easternIndia east toMalaysia,Indonesia, and thePhilippines in the east.[1] Common names includesugar palm,areng palm (alsoaren palm orarengga palm),black sugar palm, andkaong palm, among other names.[2][3]
It is a medium-sized palm, growing to 20 metres (66 feet) tall, with the trunk remaining covered by the rough oldleaf bases. The leaves are 6–12 m (20–39 ft) long and 1.5 m (5 ft) broad, pinnate, with the pinnae in 1–6 rows, 40–70 centimetres (16–28 inches) long and 5 cm (2 in) broad. Thefruit is subglobose, 7 cm (3 in) diameter, green maturing black.[4]
A. pinnata suffers from the red palm weevil,Rhynchophorus ferrugineus,[5] and is one of its majorhosts inChina.[5]
It is not athreatened species, though it is locally rare in some parts of its range. It serves as an important part of the diet of several endangered species, includingcloud rats of the genusPhloeomys.
Many products of the palm are used, as food, as construction materials, and for other purposes.
Thesap is harvested for commercial use in southeast Asia, yielding a sugar known asgur in India,gula aren in Indonesia, andpakaskas in the Philippines. The sap is collected and made aslahang, a traditional cold sweet drink, and is alsofermented intovinegar (Filipinosukang kaong),palm wine (Filipinotubâ, Malaysian and Indonesiantuak, in eastern Indonesiasageru), which in turn is distilled into a spirit (sopi in Maluku,cap tikus in North Sulawesi).[3][6][7][8]
Edmund Roberts talks about drinking analcoholic beverage made in theCavite area. He described it as a "fermented" and "intoxicating liquor". He said that it was "the pith furnished with sugar – when the liquor was properly boiled down, afarina...and of the inside of its triangular-shaped fruit a sweet bread was made."[9]
Sugar (jaggery) is also commonly derived from the fresh sap in Indonesia and the Philippines. These are traditionally prevented from fermenting by placing crushed chili or ginger in the collecting container. The sap is boiled until it reduces to a thick syrup which is then dried into a brown sugar. Similar sugar extraction methods are also traditionally used for other sugar palms, such as the buri palm (Corypha elata).[3]
The raw juice and pulp are caustic. This crop may develop into a major resource of biofuel (ethanol).[citation needed]
The immature fruits are widely consumed in the Philippines (calledkaong) and Indonesia (calledbuah kolang-kaling orbuah tap) and are made into canned fruits after they are boiled in sugar syrup.[3]
The seeds can be used in many different recipes, such as sour soup, or eaten withpandan juice, syrup, orcoconut milk. These seeds have a chewy and sweet flavor .Young seeds are soft and easy to chew. When the fruits are overripe, they will have a harder texture.[10]
The boiled water obtained from boiling fruits can also be utilized as anatural dye for fabrics.
The fruit stalk can be cut it into smaller stick used asfirewood. Some people also utilized it as part of furniture.[11]
In Thailand, some people eat the young shoot withchili sauce, and use them as cooking ingredients in dishes like soup.[12]
The dark fibrous bark (known asduk ordoh inJavanese,[13] and in India[what language is this?];iju,ejoo,eju orgomuti—a term that botanists applied as a specific or generic name to the whole plant)—inMalay;[13]ijuk in Indonesia; andyumot orcabo negro in the Philippines), is manufactured into cordage, brushes, brooms, thatch roofing, or filters.[3]
According to the study on bas-reliefs of Javanese ancient temples such asBorobudur, this type of roof is known in ancient Java vernacular architecture. It can be found today inBalinese temple roof architecture andMinangkabauRumah Gadanggonjong horn-like curved roof architecture, such as those found inPagaruyung Palace.[citation needed]
In Thailand, fibres were once used to create raincoats for miners calledJang Sui (Thai: จั่งซุ้ย).[14] The cloth made of this plant has a rough texture, making it unsuitable for most clothing.[15]
The leaves as well as the leaf midribs can be used to weave baskets andmarquetry work in furniture.[3]
In Indonesia, starch can also be extracted from sugar palms and used in place of rice flour in noodles, cakes, and other dishes.[3]
The timber is used for high grade construction, posts, beams, flooring, interior finish, wharf bridge building and other uses where strength and durability are important.[citation needed]
The trunks are typically used for making tools and furniture.Weevils that live inside the trunk are sometimes collected as food by people harvesting the fruits.
The seeds can be boiled and the stem tips can be eaten as vegetables. The young flower stalks can be bruised to obtain the juice.[16]
Various methods are employed to climb and harvest the fruits. In some regions in Thailand, locals make use of abamboo ladder with natural step-like protrusions which in Thai known asPhaong (Thai: พะอง). Harvesters use a vine to attach thisbamboo ladder to the trunk, providing them with steps to climb up and reach the fruits. Some areas utilize hemp rope and slingshot. However, this method requires at least 2 people to collect the fruits as one of them must be responsible for climbing trees and harvesting the fruits, while the other stays on the ground to pull the climbing rope.
Duringsap harvesting period, workers collect thesap twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening. From a single tree, they typically obtain around 15-20 liters of freshsap in each harvest.Bamboo tubes or plastic buckets are utilized to collect the drippingsap.[17][18]
In the Philippines, an annualIrok Festival is celebrated in the municipality ofIndang inCavite which is a major producer of kaong fruits,sukang kaong, andtubâ in the country.Irok is a local name forArenga pinnata in the northwestern Philippines.[19][20]
The world's first ever crossword puzzle, labelled "Word-Cross" in the 21 December 1913 edition ofNew York World newspaper's SundayFun supplement and created by Arthur Wynne, a Liverpool, UK-born journalist, included a clue:The fibre of the gomuti plant. The answer wasdoh.[21]
In some areas of southern Thailand, such as Ban Khlong Bor Saen and Bang Toei,Phang Nga, cultural beliefs associated with Arenga pinnata are prevalent. The trees are intertwined with the locals' lives and serve as a source of income for the villagers over generations. The locals typically call this plantChok (Thai: ชก) orNao (Thai: เหนา) .[12][22] However, it has a nickname "Ton Luk Kha Mae" (Thai: ต้นลูกฆ่าแม่) which means a child kills its mother, as the Arenga pinnata in those areas can produce fruits only once in its lifetime and it will perish within 4 -5 years.[23][10]
A belief revolves around the practice of singing and dancing during the sap tapping process. Locals believe that when the tree is surrounded by music, it yields abundantly and thesap quality is enhanced. While climbers harvestsap, some ground workers actively engage in singing and dancing.
Moreover, some locals have specific classifications for the female trees dividing them into three types, which areNao saw (Thai: เหนาสาว),Nao Mae Mai (Thai: เหนาแม่ม่าย), andNao Kae (Thai: เหนาแก่). The word “Nao” refers to the tree while each subsequent word provides a different meaning that signifies the duration the tree has been tapped forsap.
Nao Saw (Thai: เหนาสาว) refers to the trees that have not been used to collectsap before. The term “Saw” (Thai: สาว) means young woman.
Nao Mae Mai (Thai: เหนาแม่หม้าย) refers to the trees that have been used to collect sap, with the process repeated around a year. The term “Mae Mai” (Thai: แม่หม้าย) means widow.
Nao Kae (Thai: เหนาแก่) refers to the trees that have been used to collect sap continuously for three years or more including very old ones. The term “Kae” (Thai: แก่) means old.[17][22]
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