Caryota

Not to be confused with Karyota.

Fishtail palms
Caryota mitis leaves
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Coryphoideae
Tribe: Caryoteae
Genus: Caryota
L.
Type species
Caryota urens
Synonyms[1]
  • Schunda-Pana Adans.
  • Thuessinkia Korth. ex Miq
Caryota mitis

Caryota is a genus of palm trees. They are often known as fishtail palms because of the shape of their leaves. There are about 13 species native to Asia (China, India, Indonesia, etc.), northern Australia, and the South Pacific.[1] One of the more widely known species is Caryota urens, the flowers of which are used to make one type of jaggery (an unrefined sugar), and also to make palm wine. Caryota mitis is native to Indochina, but has become an invasive introduced species in the US state of Florida. They are also one of the few Arecaceae with bipinnate foliage. Many grow in mountainous areas and are adapted to warm mediterranean climates as well as subtropical and tropical climates.[2]

Fishtail palms contain raphides.

Species

Image Scientific name Distribution
Caryota albertii F.Muell. ex H.Wendl. Queensland
Caryota angustifolia Zumaidar & Jeanson Sulawesi
Caryota cumingii Lodd. ex Mart. Philippines fishtail palm - Philippines
Caryota elegans Schaedtler
Caryota kiriwongensis Hodel Thailand
Caryota maxima Blume Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Bhutan, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Java, Sumatra, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Caryota mitis Lour. Burmese fishtail palm - Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Borneo, Cambodia, India, Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Caryota monostachya Becc. Vietnam, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan
Caryota no Becc. Borneo
Caryota obtusa Griff. Thailand mountain palm - Bhutan, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand
Caryota ophiopellis Dowe Vanuatu
Caryota rumphiana Mart. Albert palm - Philippines, Sulawesi, Maluku, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago
Caryota sympetala Gagnep. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
Caryota urens L. Southern India, Sri Lanka; naturalized in Assam, Bangladesh, Bonin Islands, Southern China, Nepal, Myanmar, Andaman Islands, Malaysia, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico - jaggery palm, solitary fishtail palm, wine palm, toddy palm
Caryota zebrina Hambali & al. New Guinea
  • Fishtail palm at Bhopal
    Fishtail palm at Bhopal
  • Fishtail palm at Bhopal
    Fishtail palm at Bhopal
  • Fishtail palm flower in detail.
    Fishtail palm flower in detail.
  • Fishtail palm at Chandigarh
    Fishtail palm at Chandigarh
  • Fishtail palm - close up
    Fishtail palm - close up
  • Leaves of fishtail palm tree
    Leaves of fishtail palm tree
  • Fishtail palm - detail
    Fishtail palm - detail

References

  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Govaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
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