Borassus (palmyra palm) is a genus of five species offanpalms, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, andPapua New Guinea.

Borassus
Borassus flabellifer inKarainagar,Sri Lanka
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Subfamily:	Coryphoideae
Tribe:	Borasseae
Genus:	Borassus L.[1]
Type species
Borassus flabellifer L.
Species
See text
Synonyms[2]
LontarusAdans.

These massive palms can grow up to 30 m (98 ft) high and have robust trunks with distinct leaf scars; in some species, the trunk develops a distinct swelling just below the crown, though for unknown reasons.^{[citation needed]}

Theleaves are fan-shaped, 2–3 m (6 ft 7 in – 9 ft 10 in) long, with spines along thepetiole margins (no spines inB. heineanus). The leaf sheath has a distinct cleft at its base, through which theinflorescences appear; old leaf sheaths are retained on the trunk, but fall away with time.^{[citation needed]}

AllBorassus palms aredioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants; maleflowers are less than 10 mm (0.39 in) long and in semicircular clusters, sandwiched between leatherybracts in pendulouscatkins; female flowers are 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) wide, globe-shaped and solitary, sitting directly on the surface of the inflorescence axis.^{[citation needed]}

The fruits are 150–250 mm (5.9–9.8 in) wide and roughly spherical, and each contains one to three large seeds. Depending on the species, fruit colour varies from black to brown, yellow, or orange; the fibrous pulp is aromatic and sweet to taste. Each seed is enclosed in a woodyendocarp, which protects it when the fruit is consumed by elephants, monkeys, and otherfrugivores. Atgermination, the young seedling extends downwards into the soil and only a few leaves are visible above ground; this provides some protection against frequent fires in itssavanna habitat; after an indeterminate number of years (the establishment phase), the seedling forms a stem and quickly grows above the savanna vegetation, where it is then less vulnerable to fire.^[3]

Palmyra palms are economically useful and widely cultivated, especially in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The palmyra palm has long been one of the most important trees ofCambodia and India, where it has over 800 uses. The leaves are used forthatching,mats,baskets,fans,hats, andumbrellas, and aswriting material.

InSri Lanka, it is more common in the northern part of the country, where it has many uses including the production ofjaggery from the syrup.^[4]

In Cambodia, the tree is a national floral symbol/emblem that is seen growing aroundAngkor Wat. Palmyra palms can live for over 100 years.

In ancient India, palmyra leaves were used aswriting paper, with their parallel veins providing a useful rule. In India, mature leaves of suitable size, shape, and texture were chosen andpreserved by boiling in salt water withturmeric powder. Once dry enough, the leaf surfaces were polished withpumice, cut to the proper size and a hole was cut in one corner. Each leaf has four pages and astylus is used to write; the style iscursive and interconnected. Completed leaves are then tied up as sheaves.

The blacktimber is hard, heavy, and durable and highly valued forconstruction, especially in structures exposed to water, such as wharves, fences, and boats.

The tree yields many types of food. The young plants are cooked as avegetable or roasted and pounded to make meal. Thefruits are eaten roasted or raw, as are the young, jelly-like seeds. A sugarysap, calledtoddy, can be obtained from the young inflorescence, both male and female, and this is fermented to make a beverage calledarrack, or concentrated to produce a crude sugar calledjaggery/palm sugar. It is calledgula Jawa (Javanese sugar) in Indonesia and is widely used in Javanese cuisine. The roots can be dried to formodiyal, a hard, chewable snack. In addition, the tree sap is taken as alaxative, and medicinal value has been ascribed to other parts of the plant.

The palmyra tree (பனை மரம்) is the official tree ofTamil Nadu; it is highly respected and used by the people. The leaf of the tree is used for fan making. It is also placed for roofs. The leaves are placed on top of a house. It is also used for baskets, mats, hats, and more. The fruit is eaten by many. The fruit is called nungu. This fruit is also used to make sweets. The wood is used for making beds, tables, chairs, cabinets and much more. In ancient times, this plant's bark was used to make pencils to write on banana leaves. The Sri Lankan government has created a separate Palmyra Development Board for the sectoral development and the Indian government has also funded for the research. The project is aimed at reviving the palmyra palm industry in Jaffna district, which has over 3.5 million trees.^[5]

• http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Borassus.html -excellent Australian site of multilingual fruit names
• http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Borassus/index.htmlArchived 2009-09-23 at theWayback Machine
• https://web.archive.org/web/20181117104544/http://www.borassus-project.net/

• Borassus inWest African plants – A Photo Guide.