Areca latiloba (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Areca latiloba Ridley

Family: Palmae

Synonyms

Areca pumila Blume, non Blume ex Mart.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: jambe rende (Sundanese), pinang piji (Palembang).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra; doubtfully native to Java.

Uses

The seeds are used as an inferior substitute for those of areca palm ( Areca catechu L.) and used to be used by Chinese people for domestic altars. The palms are sometimes planted in graveyards for ornamental purposes.

Observations

A small, solitary, pleonanthic, monoecious palm up to 5 m tall; stem up to 5 cm in diameter. Leaves up to 2 m long; sheaths forming a crownshaft; blade pinnate with acuminate, 40-53 cm × 5-9 cm leaflets. Inflorescence appearing below the crown leaves on the trunk, spiciform; spikes few, 4-6 cm long, with 1 female flower at base and male flowers above; male flower sessile, calyx minute, corolla with 3 valvate petals, stamens 3; female flower sessile, much larger than the male one, calyx slightly larger than the imbricate corolla, ovary 1-locular with a single ovary and 3 sessile stigmas. Fruit an ellipsoid to narrow-cylindrical drupe, about 2.5-3 cm long, bright red when ripe. Seed with ruminate endosperm. A. latiloba is found in hill forest up to 750 m altitude. It may well prove to be identical to A. triandra Roxb.

Selected sources

6, 15, 30, 55, 68, 74.

Authors

M.S.M. Sosef