Common Name: Sago Palm

General Information

Metroxylon sagu is a multi-stemmed evergreen palm tree growing from 6 - 25 metres tall. It produces a number of unbranched stems that can be 35 - 60cm in diameter, each topped by 18 - 20 leaves that are usually 5 - 7 metres long but can be more[, ].
The plant is commonly harvested from the wild for its many uses. It is also widely cultivated by local people in the Malay Archipelago, New Guinea etc for the pith of its stem which is rich in starch and is used to make sago[]. This species used to be the commercial source of sago, but its use for this has been largely superseded by the cassava plant, Mani hot esculent[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Malaysia.

Habitat

Lowland rain forest[]. Dominates mainly in permanent or seasonal lowland freshwater swamps, preferably on mineral soils with a pH higher than 4.5[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Sago palm succeeds in wet, lowland tropical climates where it is found at elevations from sea level to 700 metres[, ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 25 - 36°c, but can tolerate 18 - 40°c[]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about 10°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 3,000 - 4,500mm, but tolerates 2,100 - 5,800mm[].
Plants grow well in full sun, even when small[]. They grow best in clay soils with a high organic-matter content[]. In the wild, the plant grows on mineral rich soils with a pH of 4.5 or more[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8.5[]. Plants can be grown in soils with very high water tables, succeeding even in swamps. They can even tolerate occasional flooding with saline water[].
Sago palm is hapaxanthic[]. Each trunk lives for a number of years without flowering but, once it has flowered and fruited, the leaves senesce and the trunk dies completely. However, one or more suckers develop from the base and take over[]. The vegetative growth phase lasts for at least 8 years before the tree flowers[].
A single palm may yield about 180 - 350 kilos of sago[].
It has been calculated that the labour requirement for each kilo of starch obtained from this plant is far less than for any other starch producing plant[].
There are hermaphroditic and male flowers[]. The palm can be classified as a nearly complete obligatory cross-breeder, with easy vegetative multiplication[].

Edible Uses

The pith of the stem is rich in starch. This has been widely used to make sago[]. The stem is cut down shortly before the tree flowers, since the carbohydrate content is then at its highest[]. It is chopped into sections and the fibrous inside is washed to extract the starch[, ]. Hot water is poured over the slightly sour wet starch and stirred. The resulting glue-like mass is eaten with fish and vegetable dishes[]. Usually, the wet starch extracted from the stems is boiled, fried or roasted, alone or mixed with other foodstuffs[]. It is also used industrially in the manufacture of cakes, noodles, kerupuk and custard powders[].

The fully ripe fruit is astringent, but is eaten as a delicacy by local people[].

Apical bud - raw or cooked[]. It is commonly steamed and eaten as a side dish with rice or added to stews[]. Harvesting this bud effectively eventually kills the individual trunk because it is unable to make side branches[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

Sago palm has been planted in buffer zones as a method of rehabilitating degraded lands, for instance the coastal plains of Indonesia where thousands of hectares of land had been abandoned[].
Especially when in wetter soils, the roots help to stabilize the soil by trapping silt[].
Young palms, with their numerous spines, act as effective barriers for livestock and potential trespassers. As the palms mature and develop above-ground stems, new palms may be planted adjacent to the juveniles to maintain the spininess of the fence[].

Other Uses

The leaves, and the fibres obtained from them, are commonly used for thatching, weaving mats etc[, ]. It is said that thatch made from this plant will last for at least 5 years[].
Processing of the pith to yield starch produces a fibre[].

The waste from pith processing is used as a fertilizer[].

Dextrose sugar extract from sago palm starch can be processed to yield alcohol for use as a biofuel[, ].
The starch obtained from the stems is also used for various other products including to make a sizing paste for paper and textiles[].

The cortex of the trunk is also used for firing in paper mills[]. The bark may be used as a domestic fuel after drying[].

The frond rachis is often used for fastening between horizontal posts in walls[].

The bark may be used as a flooring material[].

The hard outside of the trunk is used for building purposes[].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and sow in containers[]. Germination usually takes several months. The seed germinates only under wet conditions[]. A rosette grows from the seed, out of which a new bole and new suckers may be formed[].
Division of suckers[]. The suckers have the advantage of being readily available and of producing homogeneous offspring, which allows selection of superior forms[].

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