Sugar Palm Tree
One of the most important palm trees is the Sugar palm. In the tropics it is widely appreciated for its multi fold benefits at different stages in its life. Some grow as tall as 30 meters. The female trees bear large edible fruits at different stages.
The unripe fruits contain 2-3 locules. They contain a hydrolyzed carbohydrate which is very tasty. On maturity these carbohydrates convert to inedible hard starch. The locules are in hard shells, covered by a fibrous material, initially green-white in color and tasteless, which accumulates sugar and turns orange-red juicy fibers.
This characteristic sweet orange juice is collected and boiled until a nice sticky sugar remains. The natural sugar is poured directly into little cakes and packaged for easy use. If left untouched, the fruit falls to the ground and the seeds, which has hard starchy material, gets again hydrolyzed into sugars and takes the form of semi solid white mass. If this stage is not disturbed, the hydrolyzed starch gets transferred through the peg inside the soil and forms a cotyledon.
Once complete, the conical cotyledon (1-2 cm thick and 15-25 cm long) is again edible. If this stage is not harmed, the cotyledon gives rise to a new palm. While the earlier edible stages are derived from fruits, there are two other edibles that come from the reserve material stored near the apical bud of the tree. The reserve material is very sweet and looks like a cylindrical white portion with several layers.
The 6th edible is derived from this apical bud, by making an incision. From this incision, the liquid is tapped. It’s an intoxicating and energizing drink.
Its leaves are used for thatching and mats. The stalks have tough fibers, which are twined to make tough ropes for house or boat building. The dried shells and leaf stalks are also used as fuel. The trunks are used for constructing thatch sheds, or to replace wooden poles. The very large tree trunks are hollowed, and used as a boat.
