SCIENTIFIC NAME: Caryota urens

COMMON NAME(S): Toddy fishtail palm; Jaggery palm
SUB FAMILY: Arecoideae
TRIBE: Caryoteae
ORIGIN: India to Malay peninsula
HARDINESS ZONES: 10B-11 (severely damaged or killed at 26 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 40'
GROWTH RATE: Moderate
HABIT: Solitary; dies after flowering and fruiting; canopy of 10-20 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: Low
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: Moderate
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: High
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Specimen tree
HUMAN HAZARDS: Irritant
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: None

COMMENTS: This solitary-trunked fishtail palm makes a handsome specimen plant in warm tropical areas with its crown of 10-20 ascending then arching leaves. The very large drooping inflorescences add a further ornamental dimension to the palm which increases as the red fruits appear. The flowering and fruiting process may last as long as seven years, beginning when the palm is 15-20 years old. The tree begins to die as the last fruit cluster forms in the lowest leaf axil. In its native range, the inflorescences are tapped for their sugary sap which is condensed by boiling or may be fermented into an alcoholic beverage ('toddy'). The inner pith of the stems are also a source of starch ('sagu'). Toddy palm looks its best with regular irrigation and fertilization. Young plants make attractive interiorscape subjects for bright indoor exposures. The fruits contain high levels of irritating calcium oxalate crystals and should not be handled for prolonged periods with bare hands.