Multi Purpose Tree ? Sugar Palm

Palm family is unique in the aspect that most of its members have muli purpose benefits to the mankind, unrivalled by few other trees. There are several palm species such as Borassus, Areca, Sago, Fish Tail etc. Because of their beautiful structure, many of the palms adorn gardens.Though pal trees grow very tall, they can also be raised in home gardens or as dwarfs in pots.One of the most important palm trees is the Sugar palm.Botanically known as Borassus Flabellifer; it is widely distributed in the tropics such as India, Srilanka, South East Asia, New Guinea etc.

People from temperate regions are not much aware of this palm and hence are not privileged as people of tropics in appreciating the multi fold benefits of this palm. The tree grows upto 30 meters in height, with separate sexes. The female trees bear edible fruits of about 20 cm diameter.

Over a lifecycle starting from fruit to tree, the sugar palm or toddy palm provides six types of edible portions at different stages. The immature or unripe fruits contain 2-3 locules, and the locules contain a hydrolyzed carbohydrate which is very tasty. (Called 'munji' in Telugu language). On maturity the carbohydrates convert to hard starch and this starch is not edible. The locules are in hard shells, which are covered by fibrous material, and this fibrous material which was earlier greenish-whitish in color and tasteless, accumulates sugar and turns orange-red juicy fibres.

This sweet orange juice with characteristic flavor (fruit at this stage called 'tati pandu' in telugu), is mixed with flour and baked into cakes. If the ripened fruit is left untouched, the fruit falls to the ground and the seeds (or locules) generate a peg geotropically into the soil. The seed, which has hard starchy material, gets again hydrolyzed into sugars and takes the form of semi solid white mass (the seed on ground with peg into the soil at this stage is called 'burra gunju' in telugu). If this stage is not disturbed, the hydrolyzed starch gets transferred through the peg inside the soil and forms a cotyledon.

Once the transfer of sugars is complete, the cotyledon which measures 1-2 cm in thickness and 15-25 cm in length and of conical shape is again edible (this stage is called 'tega' in Telugu). If this stage is also not harmed, the cotyledon gives rise to a new palm. While the earlier edible stages namely munji, tati pandu, burra gunju and tega are derived from fruits, there are two other edibles that can be derived from the reserve material stored near the apical bud of the tree. The reserve material which sustains the growth of the tree and much helpful in reproductive stage, is very sweet and looks like a cylindrical white portion with several layers.

The inner the layer, the sweeter it is (this cylindrical sweet portion is called 'muvva' or 'movvu' in Telugu. The sixth edible derived is called the toddy ('kallu' in telugu) is derived from this apical bud, by making an incision. From this incision, the liquid food material that is part of the plant's translocation is tapped and this is an intoxicating and energy giving drink.

Apart from the edible uses, there are several other benefits which man has been using since time immemorial. The leaves are used for thatching and making mats. The leaf stalks have tough fibers, which are twined to make tough ropes for building of houses, boats, etc.The dried shells, leaf stalks are used as fuel. The trunks are used either as live poles in construction of thatch sheds, or as timber in replacement for wooden poles.The trunk of the tree is hollowed, and is directly used as a boat (called 'dhone' in telugu) for travel and fishing in many parts of the tropics.

Thus the Sugar Palm or Palmyra Palm or Toddy Palm is unrivalled even in the palm family, for the multi-fold benefits it offers in its life time at different stages.Apprecating this Indian's give it the status of 'son' for it takes care of them single handedly even in hard times.

Ravikumar Uppaluri hails from Kaikalur, Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh State in India.The famous Kolleru bird sancturay, a fresh water lake that attracts birds from as far as Siberia, is located near Kaikalur. Kolleru lake once vast , beautiful and sheltering scores of birds and other animals is on the verge of extinction. The author Holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Sciences and is cofounder of an organization involved in Nature conservation and sustainable development. The author can be reached at uravikumar@yahoo.com.

---

How to Grow Avocado

Fruit gardening and vegetable gardening is a very exciting venture.... Read More

A Beautiful Rose Is Natures Gift

Roses are one of natures most beautiful and splendid gifts.... Read More

Natural Garden Pest Control

No dig gardens essentially strive to be their own ecosystem.... Read More

Wooden Greenhouses

An important addition to any British back garden, the greenhouse... Read More

Layer Your Plantings

Part three in a seriesIn our last article, we helped... Read More

Orange Perennials For Your Garden

Perennials are wonderful because, they bloom year after year. Sometimes,... Read More

Wildlife in Winter Ponds

This may seem contradictory, but you want to leave a... Read More

Dont Roll that Lawn

Every spring some mysterious hormone hits the male of the... Read More

How to Rid that Lawn of Thatch!

You know that brown patchy debris in a lawn that... Read More

Developing the Perfect Landscaping Idea

Using landscaping ideas can be an effective way to attract... Read More

What is the Right Plant and Where Do I Put It?

Know if your plants are disease-susceptible. Your choice of plants... Read More

Fleur De Lotus: Purity in a Sullied World

Rising from a muddy pond, a lotus flower blossoms. Such... Read More

Seeds and More Seeds...What Your Garden Needs

Seeds are the most important ingredient in all gardening. Without... Read More

Make Your Fresh Cut Roses Last Longer!

Women adore getting flowers, most especially roses, as it is... Read More

Iris Flowers Remind Me Of Mom!

Iris flowers always bring memories of mom to mind. Let... Read More

Gardening and Flowers

Gardening is one of life's pleasures whether you grow flowers,... Read More

Garden for Birds #4

I would like to know...WHO STOLE SUMMER???What did you do... Read More

Bottle Gardening or Terrarium - Design and Maintenance

Women take pride in home decoration and gardening and want... Read More

New for 2006 - Granite Flexible Preformed Rock Ponds

Traditionally, preformed ponds are large shells, which are extremely burdensome... Read More

Storm Damage and Mature Tree Pruning

One winter evening I was working on the computer when... Read More

Adirondack Chairs - How to Care for and Clean Them

Different from any other chair, the Adirondack chair was first... Read More

Winter Gardening

As the end of summer approaches, unfortunately far too quickly,... Read More

Brighten Your Path By Installing Decorative Landscape Lighting

Landscape lighting can add a beautiful quality to any home.... Read More

Growing Great Potatoes

Potatoes are so easy to grow in the no dig,... Read More

A Garden Bench: A Beautiful Addition To Any Garden

Okay, so you have spent hours upon hours creating the... Read More

My Spring Bulbs Wont Bloom - Why?

You can hear the wailing from here. "Why aren't my... Read More

Growing Organic! Herbs, Flowers and Fruit

Creating no dig gardens on top of the soil gives... Read More

Light Up the Night! Quick Facts about Outdoor Lighting

When the days start to get shorter, the darkness may... Read More

Mowing the Lawn

This is more of a follow up on my original... Read More

Indoor Gardening Tips for Jerry Seinfeld

"I have no plants in my house. They won't live... Read More

Garden Room Boundaries

The areas of your landscape can be divided into several... Read More

Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners

The Basics of Hydroponics Gardening.What is hydroponics gardening?Derived from the... Read More

Easy to Grow Roses

There are many different types of roses. If you are... Read More