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''Caryota mitis'', known as the clustering fishtail palm or fishtail palm, is a species of palm native to
File: 短穗魚尾葵 20190607180236.jpg , Plant
File:叢立孔雀椰子 20190606204454 01.jpg , Characteristic of the grouping of trunks
File:叢立孔雀椰子 20190606204454 02.jpg , Phyllotaxis
File:叢立孔雀椰子 20190606204454 03.jpg , Phyllotaxis
File:叢立孔雀椰子 20190606204454 04.jpg , Fruits
File:叢立孔雀椰子 20190606204454 05.jpg , Fruits
File:叢立孔雀椰子 20190606204454 06.jpg , Fruits
''Caryota mitis'', known as the clustering fishtail palm or fishtail palm, is a species of palm native to Tropical Asia
Tropical Asia refers to the entirety of the areas in Asia with a tropical climate. These areas are of geographic and economic importance due to their natural resources and biodiversity, which include many species of agricultural value. There are ...
from India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
to Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
to southern China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, now sparingly naturalized in southern Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and in parts of Africa and Latin America. The species was originally described from Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
in 1790. In Florida, it grows in hummocks
In geology, a hummock is a small knoll or mound above ground.Bates, Robert L. and Julia A. Jackson, ed. (1984). “hummock.” Dictionary of Geological Terms, 3rd Ed. New York: Anchor Books. p. 241. They are typically less than in height and ...
and in disturbed wooded areas.
''Caryota mitis'' has clustered stems up to 10 m (33 feet) tall and 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter. Leaves can be up to 3 m (10 feet) long. Flowers are purple, and the fruits—harmful to humans—are dark purple or red.Loureiro, João de. Flora Cochinchinensis 2: 569–570. 1790.
Uses
Cultivated mainly as an ornament plant inCambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
, where it is named ''tunsaé töch'', traditional healers burn the heaps of felted hairs from the leaves' axils to treat ill limbs of patients.
Toxicity
The fruit of ''C. mitis'' is saturated withraphides
Raphides (pronounced /ˈræfɪˌdiz/, singular raphide /ˈreɪfʌɪd/ or raphis) are needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate monohydrate (prismatic monoclinic crystals) or calcium carbonate as aragonite ( dipyramidal orthorhombic crystals), fo ...
, sharp, needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate
Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydrate ...
. The raphides are strong irritants that cause damage and subsequent itching upon contact with skin, and if ingested, the mouth. This is a result of the physical structure of the raphides, and not any chemical reaction.
Gallery
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q221543 mitis Flora of China Trees of Indo-China Trees of Malesia Garden plants of Asia Ornamental trees