Sago Palm

Medicinal Uses

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Apical bud  Fruit  Stem | Edible Uses: The pith of the stem is rich in starch. This has been widely used to make sago[297 ]. The stem is cut down shortly before the tree flowers, since the carbohydrate content is then at its highest[314 ]. It is chopped into sections and the fibrous inside is washed to extract the starch[200 , 297 ]. Hot water is poured over the slightly sour wet starch and stirred. The resulting glue-like mass is eaten with fish and vegetable dishes[303 ]. Usually, the wet starch extracted from the stems is boiled, fried or roasted, alone or mixed with other foodstuffs[418 ]. It is also used industrially in the manufacture of cakes, noodles, kerupuk and custard powders[418 ]. The fully ripe fruit is astringent, but is eaten as a delicacy by local people[301 ]. Apical bud - raw or cooked[418 ]. It is commonly steamed and eaten as a side dish with rice or added to stews[301 ]. Harvesting this bud effectively eventually kills the individual trunk because it is unable to make side branches[301 ].

Cultivation

Agroforestry Services: Windbreak  Fodder: Insect  Industrial Crop: Fiber  Management: Managed Multistem  Regional Crop  Staple Crop: Basic StarchSago palm succeeds in wet, lowland tropical climates where it is found at elevations from sea level to 700 metres[297 , 303 ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 25 - 36°c, but can tolerate 18 - 40°c[418 ]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about 10°c[418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 3,000 - 4,500mm, but tolerates 2,100 - 5,800mm[418 ]. Plants grow well in full sun, even when small[297 ]. They grow best in clay soils with a high organic-matter content[303 ]. In the wild, the plant grows on mineral rich soils with a pH of 4.5 or more[303 ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8.5[418 ]. Plants can be grown in soils with very high water tables, succeeding even in swamps. They can even tolerate occasional flooding with saline water[418 ]. Sago palm is hapaxanthic[303 ]. Each trunk lives for a number of years without flowering but, once it has flowered and fruited, the leaves senesce and the trunk dies completely. However, one or more suckers develop from the base and take over[303 ]. The vegetative growth phase lasts for at least 8 years before the tree flowers[303 ]. A single palm may yield about 180 - 350 kilos of sago[418 ]. It has been calculated that the labour requirement for each kilo of starch obtained from this plant is far less than for any other starch producing plant[297 ]. There are hermaphroditic and male flowers[303 ]. The palm can be classified as a nearly complete obligatory cross-breeder, with easy vegetative multiplication[303 ]. Spacing: 15-20 ft. (4.7-6 m) 20-30 ft. (6-9 m) 30-40 ft. (9-12 m).

Known Hazards

Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling

Habitats

Lowland rain forest[297 ]. Dominates mainly in permanent or seasonal lowland freshwater swamps, preferably on mineral soils with a pH higher than 4.5[303 ].