| Nipa palm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nipa palms inBohol,Philippines | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Subfamily: | Nypoideae Griff. |
| Genus: | Nypa Steck[3] |
| Species: | N. fruticans |
| Binomial name | |
| Nypa fruticans | |
 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Nypa fruticans, commonly known as thenipa palm (or simplynipa, fromMalay:nipah) ormangrove palm,[4] is aspecies ofpalm native to the coastlines andestuarine habitats of theIndian andPacific Oceans. It is the only palm considered adapted to themangrovebiome. ThegenusNypa and the subfamilyNypoideae aremonotypic taxa because this species is their only member.[5]
Unlike most palms, the nipa palm's trunk grows beneath the ground; only theleaves andflower stalk grow upwards above the surface. The leaves extend up to 9 metres (30 feet) in height.
The flowers are a globularinflorescence of female flowers at the tip withcatkin-like red or yellow male flowers on the lower branches. The flower produces woody nuts arranged in a globular cluster up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) across on a single stalk.[6][7] The infructescence can weigh as much as sixty-six pounds (thirty kg).[8]
The fruit is globular made of many seed segments, each seed has a fibrous husk covering the endosperm that allows it to float.[9] The stalk droops as the fruits mature.[10]: 46 When they reach that stage, the ripe seeds separate from the ball and float away on the tide, occasionallygerminating while still water-borne.[6][7]
While only onespecies ofNypa now exists,N. fruticans, with a natural distribution extending from Northern Australia through theIndonesian Archipelago and thePhilippine Islands up to China, thegenusNypa once had a nearly global distribution in theEocene (56–33.4 million years ago).[11]
Fossil mangrove palmpollen from India has been dated to 70 million years ago.[12]
Fossil fruits and seeds ofNypa have been described from theMaastrichtian andDanian sediments of the Dakhla Formation of Bir Abu Minqar, South Western Desert,Egypt.[13]
Fossilized nuts ofNypa dating to the Eocene occur in the sandbeds ofBranksome, Dorset, and inLondon Clay on theIsle of Sheppey, Kent, England.[14]
A fossil species,N. australis, has been described from Early Eocene sediments atMacquarie Harbour on the western coast ofTasmania.[15]
Fossils ofNypa have also been recovered from throughout theNew World, inNorth andSouth America, dating from at least theMaastrichtian period of theCretaceous through the Eocene, making its last appearance in the fossil record of North and South America in the late Eocene.[16]
Assuming thehabitat ofextinctNypa is similar to that of theextant speciesN. fruticans, the presence ofNypa fossils may indicate monsoonal or at least seasonal rainfall regimes, and likely tropical climates.[15] The worldwide distribution ofNypa in the Eocene, especially in deposits from polar latitudes, is supporting evidence that the Eocene was a time of global warmth, prior to the formation of modern polar icecaps at the end of the Eocene.
Nipa palms grow in softmud and slow-moving tidal and river waters that bring in nutrients. They can be found as far inland as the tide can deposit the floating nuts. They are common on coasts and rivers flowing into the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from India to thePacific Islands. The palm will survive occasional short-term drying of its environment. Despite the name "mangrove palm" and its prevalence in coastal areas, it is only moderately salt tolerant and suffers if exposed to pure seawater; it prefers thebrackish waters ofestuaries.[17]
It is considered native to China (Hainan), theRyukyu Islands, Bangladesh,Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, theAndaman and Nicobar Islands,Vietnam,Laos,Malay Peninsula, north ofSingapore,[10]: 49–50 all ofBorneo,Java,Maluku, the Philippines,Sulawesi,Sumatra, theBismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, theSolomon Islands, theCaroline Islands, and Australia (Queensland and theNorthern Territory). It is reportedly naturalized[clarification needed] in Nigeria, theSociety Islands of FrenchPolynesia, theMariana Islands,Panama, andTrinidad.[2]
Japan'sIriomote Island and its neighboring Uchibanari Island are the most northern limit of the distribution.[1][18]
Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are known to eat the fruits of the nipa palm.Proboscis monkeys in thePadas Damit Forest Reserve have been observed eating the inflorescences.Bornean orangutans eat nipa palm hearts and shoots.[19]
Fungal speciesTirisporella beccariana has been found on the mangrove palm,[20] as well asPhomatospora nypae on palms in Malaysia.[21]
The long, feathery leaves of the nipa palm are used by local populations asroof material forthatched houses ordwellings. The leaves are also used in many types ofbasketry and thatching. Because they arebuoyant, large stems are used to train swimmers in Burma.
On the islands ofRoti andSavu, nipa palm sap is fed topigs during the dry season. This is said to impart a sweet flavour to the meat. The young leaves are dried, bleached and cut to wraptobacco for smoking, this practice is also found inSumatra.[22]
In Cambodia, this palm is calledចាកcha:k; its leaves are used to cover roofs.[23]
Roof thatching with the leaves occurs in many places in Papua New Guinea. In some coastal areas, therachis is used for walls in houses, and theleaflets are used for ornaments.[24] Theepidermises of the leaves are used ascigarette papers.[25]
The young flower stalk and hard seeds are edible and provide hydration.[26]
In the Philippines and Malaysia, the inflorescence can be "tapped" to yield a sweet, ediblesap collected to produce a localalcoholic beverage calledtuba,bahal, ortuak. A fruit cluster is ready to be tapped when the unripe fruits are at their peak sweetness. The cluster is cut from the stalk about six inches down, and mud is rubbed on the stalk to induce sap flow. Sap begins flowing immediately if the fruit maturity was correctly gauged. A bamboo tube or a bottle is fitted over the cut stalk and the sap is collected twice daily, cutting a half centimeter slice off the end of the stalk after each collection to prevent it from gumming over. Sap flow will continue for 30 days per stalk, and the nipa flowers continuously throughout the year, providing a continuous supply of sap.[27]
Tuba can be stored intapayan (earthenware balloon vases) for several weeks to make a kind ofvinegar known assukang paombong in the Philippines andcuka nipah in Malaysia.Tuba can also be distilled to makearrack, locally known aslambanog inFilipino andarak orarak nipah inIndonesian. Young shoots are also edible; the flower petals can be infused to make an aromatictisane.Attap chee (Chinese:亞答子;pinyin:yà dá zǐ) (chee meaning "seed" in several Chinese dialects) is a name for the immaturefruits—sweet, translucent, gelatinous balls used as a dessert ingredient in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, that are a byproduct of the sap harvesting process.
In Indonesia, especially inJava andBali, the sap can be used to make a variant ofJaggery calledgula nipah. InSarawak, it is calledgula apong.
In Thailand, leaf is used for dessert.
In Cambodia, its leaves are used for wrapping cakes (such asnum katâm), and the flowers are sometimes used to make sugar, vinegar, and alcohol.[23]
The nipa palm produces a very high yield of sugar-rich sap. Fermented into ethanol or butanol, the sap may allow the production of 6480–20,000 liters per hectare per year of fuel.[28] By contrast,sugarcane yields roughly 5200 liters of ethanol per hectare per year, and an equivalent area planted incorn (maize) would produce only roughly 4000 liters per hectare per year, before accounting for the energy costs of the cultivation and alcohol extraction.[29] Unlike corn and sugarcane, nipa palm sap requires little if any fossil fuel energy to produce from an established grove, does not requirearable land, and can make use of brackish water instead of freshwater resources. Also unlike mostenergy crops, the nipa palm does not detract from food production to make fuel. In fact, since nipa fruit is an inevitable byproduct of sap production,[27] it produces both food and fuel simultaneously.
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Media related toNypa fruticans at Wikimedia Commons
