Palmyra palm

Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer), also called toddy palm or Asian palmyra palm, is a large palm of the palm family (Arecaceae) with a straight trunk 15–30 m tall and 0.6–1 m thick that can live over 100 years. The crown carries 40–70 large fan leaves, each about 1 m long with a spiny petiole. The tree is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees; when young inflorescences are tapped, both male and female trees yield a sweet sap used to make jaggery. The fruit is a spherical drupe 15–20 cm across, turning dark brown when ripe, containing one to three seeds; each seed has a juicy, jelly-like white kernel that is edible. The species is native to South and Southeast Asia, ranging from India and Sri Lanka through Cambodia and Laos to Vietnam.

The palmyra palm is a multipurpose tree of An Giang province, Vietnam: sap from the inflorescences is boiled into palmyra jaggery and a refreshing drink, a speciality tied to the Khmer culture of the Mekong Delta. The jelly-like kernels of unripe seeds are eaten fresh, and the young shoot is used as a vegetable. The leaves serve for thatch, weaving, fans and conical hats; the tough, spiny petioles make fences; the wood is used for house posts and bridges and is remarkably durable in water. The palm prefers a hot tropical climate with a distinct dry season and tolerates poor and salty soils, but grows slowly, taking 12–15 years before yielding sap and fruit. It is propagated by seed.