Kaong palm

''Arenga pinnata'' (syn. ''Arenga saccharifera'') is an economically important feather palm native to tropical Asia, from eastern India east to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines in the east. Common names include sugar palm, areng palm (also aren palm or arengga palm), black sugar palm, and kaong palm, among other names.

Description

It is a medium-sized palm, growing to tall, with the trunk remaining covered by the rough old leaf bases. The leaves are long and broad, pinnate, with the pinnae in 1–6 rows, long and broad. The fruit is subglobose, diameter, green maturing black.

Ecology

''A. pinnata'' suffers from the Red Palm Weevil, ''Rhynchophorus ferrugineus''. . Page 247. ''A. pinnata'' is one of the major hosts for ''R. ferrugineus'' in China.

It is not a threatened species, though it is locally rare in some parts of its range. It serves as an important part of the diet of several endangered species, including cloud rats of the genus ''Phloeomys''.

Uses

for high grade construction, posts, beams, faters, flooring, interior finish, wharf bridge building and other uses where strength and durability are important.

Sap

The sap is harvested for commercial use in southeast Asia, yielding a sugar known in India as ''gur'' or in Indonesia as ''gula aren''. The sap is collected and made as ''lahang'', a traditional cold sweet drink, and is also fermented into vinegar (Filipino ''sukang kaong''), palm wine (Filipino ''tubâ'', Malaysian and Indonesian ''tuak'', in eastern Indonesia '' sageru''), which in turn is distilled into a spirit ('' sopi'' in Maluku, '' cap tikus'' in North Sulawesi).

Edmund Roberts talks about drinking an alcoholic beverage made in the Cavite area. He described it as a "fermented" and "intoxicating liquor". He said that it was "the pith furnished with sugar – when the liquor was properly boiled down, a farina...and of the inside of its triangular-shaped fruit a sweetbread was made."

Sugar (jaggery) is also commonly derived from the fresh sap in Indonesia and the Philippines. These are traditionally prevented from fermenting by placing crushed chili or ginger in the collecting container. The sap is boiled until it reduces to a thick syrup which is then dried into a brown sugar. Similar sugar extraction methods are also traditionally used for other sugar palms, like the buri palm (''Corypha elata'').

The raw juice and pulp are caustic. This crop may develop into a major resource of biofuel (ethanol).

Fruit

The immature fruits are widely consumed in the Philippines (called ''kaong'') and Indonesia (called ''buah kolang-kaling'' or ''buah tap'') and are made into canned fruits after they are boiled in sugar syrup.

Fibres

The dark fibrous bark (known as ''doh'' in India; in Indonesia; and or in the Philippines), is manufactured into cordage, brushes, brooms, thatch roofing, or filters.

According to the study on bas-reliefs of Javanese ancient temples such as Borobudur, this type of roof are known in ancient Java vernacular architecture. It can be found today in Balinese temple roof architecture and Minangkabau Rumah Gadang ''gonjong'' horn-like curved roof architecture, such as those found in Pagaruyung Palace.

Leaves

The leaves as well as the leaf midribs can be used to weave baskets and marquetry work in furniture.

Starch

In Indonesia, starch can also be extracted from sugar palms and used in place of rice flour in noodles, cakes, and other dishes.

Survival food

The seeds can be boiled and the stem tips can be eaten as vegetables. The young flower stalks can be bruised to obtain the juice.

Culture

In the Philippines, an annual Irok Festival is celebrated in the municipality of Indang in Cavite which is a major producer of kaong fruits, ''sukang kaong'', and ''tubâ'' in the country. ''Irok'' is a local name for ''Arenga pinnata'' in the northwestern Philippines.

According to Sundanese folklore, the spirit known as Wewe Gombel dwells in the ''Arenga pinnata'' palm, where she also has her nest and keeps the children she abducts.

Gallery

References

External links

Kew Palms Checklist: ''Arenga pinnata''Global Compendium of Weeds: Arenga pinnata
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Sugar palm
entry at Bioenergy Wiki

{{Taxonbar, from=Q227984

pinnata
Tropical fruit