Areca vestiaria (PROSEA)
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Introduction |
Areca vestiaria Giseke
- Family: Palmae
Synonyms
Areca langloisiana Potztal, Mischophloeus vestiaria Merr., Seaforthia vestiaria Mart.
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: pinang merah, lanut (Sulawesi), eslait (Buru).
Distribution
Native to Indonesia (North Sulawesi, the Moluccas). Cultivated in Indonesia and elsewhere as an ornamental.
Uses
In Sulawesi and the Moluccas (Buru) the epidermis of young, unfolded leaves yield fine, white thread which is made into clothes and covers for pillows and mattresses. In Tondano (Sulawesi) the scraped stem of A. vestiaria is pounded into a fibrous mass which is used for making rope. The leaves are used to thatch temporary shelters.
Observations
A non-tillering palm with stilt roots; stems clustered, up to 10 m tall, about 10 cm in diameter; crownshaft orange-red. Leaves pinnate, up to 2 m long; petiole short; leaflets obliquely truncate, praemorse, very broad, dark green. Inflorescence branched, arising below crownshaft; flowers unisexual, cream. Fruit orange-red, 2 cm × 1 cm. A. vestiaria occurs wild in rainforest at 300-1200 m altitude. It is very colourful at altitudes between 600 and 1200 m, but at lower altitudes the colour is less spectacular. In cultivation it requires shade and prefers soils with a high organic-matter content. To obtain thread, the fleshy parts of the leaves are scraped off and the epidermis is torn into strips which are dried in the sun, tied together and twisted into thread. The material may be bleached in the sun or dyed.
Selected sources
8, 41, 71, 80, 90, 91.
Authors
M. Brink, P.C.M. Jansen & C.H. Bosch
