Corypha utan

Corypha utan, the cabbage palm, buri palm or gebang palm, is a species of palm native to Asia and Oceania.

Corypha utan
Corypha utan stand at Kowanyama, Queensland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Corypha
Species:
C. utan
Binomial name
Corypha utan
Synonyms[1]
  • Borassus sylvestris Giseke nom. illeg.
  • Corypha elata Roxb.
  • Corypha gebang Mart.
  • Corypha gembanga (Blume) Blume
  • Corypha griffithiana Becc.
  • Corypha macrophylla Roster
  • Corypha macropoda Kurz
  • Corypha sylvestris Mart. nom. illeg.
  • Gembanga rotundifolia Blume
  • Livistona vidalii Becc.
  • Taliera elata (Roxb.) Wall.
  • Taliera gembanga Blume nom. illeg.
  • Taliera sylvestris Blume nom. illeg.

Description

It grows up to 20 metres (66 feet) tall, and, on the York Peninsula of Queensland, up to 1.5 meters (4' 11") thick[2] (exceeded only by Borassus aethiopum and Jubaea chilensis.) and bears palmate fronds 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) long. Like other palms of genus Corypha, this species flowers at the end of its lifetime (monocarpy), producing a massive inflorescence up to 5 m tall containing up to one million flowers.[3]

Distribution and habitat

It is distributed from the Assam region of India through Indochina, Malaysia, and Indonesia to the Philippines and New Guinea, and south to Australia's Cape York Peninsula.[3] Growing along watercourses, floodplains and grasslands, the Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia write about the Corypha utan palms occurring in Cape York:

Corypha utan .. is undoubtedly one of the most imposing species in the Australian palm flora (with its massive pachycaul trunks and hapaxanthic flowering and fruiting extravaganza.[4]

Uses

The starch contained inside the trunk is edible raw or cooked, as is the tip-top. The flowering stalks can be beaten to produce liquid. The nut kernels are also edible.[5]

In Lamakera, its (ketebu) leaves are made into fibres weaved with sea hibiscus bark to make rope for whaling harpoons.[6]

Locally known as buri or buli in the Philippines, the leaves of Corypha utan are widely used in weaving fans, baskets, and mats.[7][8] Additionally, in Isla Verde, Batangas where this palm tree grows abundantly, Corypha utan sap is extracted, cooked and made into the sweet delicacy called "Pakaskas".[9][10]

References

  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  2. Tucker, Robert (1988). Palms of Subequatorial Queensland. Milton, QLD: Palm and Cycad Society of Australia. p. 28.
  3. Corypha utan Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia web page Accessed 20 June 2009
  4. Corypha utan On Cape York Peninsula, Queensland Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia web page Archived 2006-08-31 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 20 June 2009
  5. The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants. United States Department of the Army. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. 2009. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-60239-692-0. OCLC 277203364.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Barnes, R. H. (1996). "Lamakera, Solor. Ethnographic Notes on a Muslim Whaling Village of Eastern Indonesia". Anthropos. 91 (1/3): 75–88. JSTOR 40465273.
  7. "Philippine Medicinal Plants: Buri". www.stuartxchange.org.
  8. M., Queypo-Queddeng; J., Puzon; Development, Rabena, A.R., University of Northern Philippines, Vigan City 2700 (Philippines). Research and (2010-01-01). "Multipurpose use of buri (Corypha elata Roxb. or Corrypha utan) and its nutritive value". Philippine Journal of Crop Science (Philippines). ISSN 0115-463X.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. meryenda. "The Peculiar Life of a Buri Palm". meryenda.substack.com. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  10. "DOST BRINGS S&T TO VERDE ISLAND, PAKASKAS UNDERGO IMPROVEMENT". www.science.ph. Retrieved 2023-01-20.


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