Some important Palmaceae of India

Sanjeet Kumar


Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, India
sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com

Some important Palmaceae of India

Palms are woody monocots native to the tropics. There are many palms which make good indoor plants. Many get large quickly and require frequent repotting but others grow more slowly. Some have single trunks and others have multiple trunks. Palmately and pinnately compound leaves are both common. Since most palm trees grow in the shade of tropical forests until they get tall enough to reach the direct rays of the sun, they tolerate relatively low indoor light for many years. Palms may be monoecious or dioecious. Female plants are required for fruits on those that have showy fruits. Many palms become large with age and outgrow their location but make attractive, manageable house plants for several years. Edible palms produce coconut, dates and palm oil and they have numerous uses in and around the home and market in the tropics. Baskets, bags, hats are examples of products woven from the leaves.

1.      Caryota urens L.

2.      Caryota mitis Lour.

3.      Areca catechu L.

4.      Cocos nucifera L.

5.      Phoneix sylvestris Roxb.

6.      Phonix robusta Hook. f.

7.      Phonix acaulis Buch. Ham.

8.      Phonix paludosa Roxb.

9.      Nipa fruticans Wurmb.

10.  Corypha umbraculifera L.

11.  Corypha alata Roxb.

12.  Licuala peltata Roxb.

13.  Livistonia chinensis Br.

14.  Borassus flabllifer L.

15.  Calamus latifolius Roxb.

16.  Calamus viminalis Willd.

17.  Calamus tenuis Roxb.

18.  Calamus gurba Ham.

Palms grow from the Tropics to the Subtropics, rarely reaching into the temperate latitudes. Years ago, it was thought by some that the palms were were part of the grass family, others thought palms had developed from the same ancestry as the lily. Palms grow singly or in colonies. Species vary widely in form and size; being shrubs, trees (with and without trunks) or rarely, climbers. The stem is simple, rarely branching; the stem can be very short, even underground, to very tall and stately. Leaves are usually large and pleated, ordinarily clustered at the top of the stem.The flowers are small and numerous, fruits have a hard or fleshy covering.

FOOD PRODUCTS FROM PALMS
Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
Dates (Phoenix dactylifera)
Sago (Arenga, Caryota, Cycas, Mauritia, Metroxylon)
Buds for salad (Calamus scipionum, Euterpe edulis)
Sugar (Arenga pinnata, Borassus flabellifer, Phoenix sylvestris)
Toddy (Arenga pinnata, Phoenix sylvestris)

MATERIALS FROM PALMS
Fiber (Raphia gigantea, R. pedunculata, R. hookeri)
Oil (Elais guineensis, Cocos nucifera, Corozo oleifera)
Wax (Copernicia sp.)
Vegetable Ivory (Phytelephas macrocarpa, P. seemanni)
Wood (Cocos sp. Phoenix sp.) Rattan (Calamus rotang)