Common Name: Gebang Palm

General Information

Corypha utan is a massive, solitary-stemmed, evergreen fan palm growing to about 20 metres tall with leaves from 4 - 6 metres across[]. The bole can be 1 metre in diameter[].
One of the largest of all the palms[], it provides a wide range of food and materials for the local people..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - northeast India, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, northern Australia.

Habitat

Flat, low-lying land in woodlands and forests in monsoonal areas[]. Open grasslands, and along rivers and wetlands[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants succeed in moist tropical climates where temperatures never fall below 10°c, the average annual rainfall is 1,500mm or more and the driest month has 25mm or more rain[]. They can also succeed in drier areas with an annual rainfall as low as 250mm and one month or more where rainfall is below 25mm[].
Plants grow well in full sun, even when small[].
Plants are monocarpic - living for many years without flowering, but then dying after they flower[]. Like all members of this genus, these palms only flower at the end of their life, sending up a massive inflorescence, up to 5 metres high, and with up to 1 million flowers[].
Plants are slow growing when young[].

Edible Uses

A sweet sap is obtained from the inflorescence[]. This can be used as a sugar or fermented into an alcoholic drink[].

Apical bud - raw, cooked with rice or pickled[]. Eaten raw as a salad, or cooked as a vegetable[, ]. Eating this bud effectively kills the plant because it is unable to make side branches[, ].

A starch obtained from the pith of the stem is used to make sago[, , ].

The kernels of young seeds are eaten or made into sweetmeats[, , ].

Medicinal

The roots are demulcent, diuretic, emollient and stimulant[]. The roots are chewed in the treatment of coughs[]. The juice of the roots is used for treating diarrhea360].

A decoction of the young plant is used in the treatment of febrile catarrh[]
.
The starch from the trunk is used in the treatment of bowel complaints[].

Other Uses

The leaves have a wide range of uses, including thatching for roofs and walls, weaving into baskets, mats, hats etc[, ].
The ribs of the leaves is used for making brooms[].

A fibre, known as 'buntal', is obtained from the leaf petioles[, ]. It is used for making Lucban and Baliuag hats, and for making rope[, ].
A very fine fibre is obtained from the unfolded leaves[, ]. Used for cloth, fancy articles and as a string[].
Fibres from the ribs of unfolded leaves are used for making Calasiao hats[].

The mature seeds are made into buttons or used as beads on rosaries[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: Type the digit seven into the box