Scientific Name: Cyrtostachys renda Blume

Synonyms: Areca erythropoda Miq. , Ptychosperma coccinea Teijsm. & Binn.

Unique ID: 198

Systematic Position

Class: Monocotyledonae                  

Series: Nudiflorae

Family: Arecaceae

Common Names

English – Red palm

Description: Cyrtostachys renda is a slender multi-stemmed, slow-growing, clustering palm tree. It can grow to 16 metres (52 feet) tall. It has a scarlet to bright red colored crownshaft and leaf sheath, making it distinct from all other species of Arecaceae. The plant’s stipe grows up to 10 centimetres (3.9 inches) in diameter. Its petioles grow up to 15 centimetres (5.9 inches) long and have pinnate leaves have about 50 pairs of pinnae. The plant’s fruits are ovoid, 1.4 centimetres (0.55 inches) in diameter, green, turning to a dark bluish-black when ripe.

Habitat: Cultivated as ornamental plant

Distribution: Native to Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia

Uses:  Ornamental; medicinal in folklore, construction, food