Common Name: Mangrove Date Palm

General Information

Phoenix paludosa is an evergreen, clustering palm forming a dense clump of slender, unbranched stems up to 5 metres tall and 5 - 8cm in diameter (excluding leaf sheaths). The leaves are 200 - 300cm long with a stem 70 - 98cm long[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of food and materials.
Phoenix paludosa is threatened by the loss of mangrove habitat throughout its range, primarily due to extraction and coastal development, and there has been an estimated 24% decline in mangrove area within this species' range since 1980. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2008)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - India, Bangladesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

The back areas of mangrove and saltwater swamps in areas that are sometimes inundated with brackish water; usually scattered but occasionally forming stands[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Near Threatened
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant can be grown from the warm temperate to tropical zones. It can withstand some frost[].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Grows best in a moist soil[].
Phoenix species are quite liable to hybridize where the various species meet as a result of cultivation[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

The fruits are eaten in curries[, ]. The boiled fruits are eatenThe blue-black, ovoid-ellipsoid fruit is 10 - 12,, long and 7 - 10mm wide, containing a single, large woody seed[].

The fruits have been used as a coffee substitute[].

The pith of the stem is edible[, ].

The terminal bud is eaten[]. The palm heart (the inner core and growing bud of the plant) is harvested[ ]. It provides a crispy food, rich in nutrients, that can be eaten raw or cooked. Harvesting the heart will lead to the death of the stem it was harvested from, though in multi-stemmed plants such as this the rest of the plant will continue to grow and often produce new stems[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The fibrous leaves are used to make mats, ropes, umbrellas, and fences as well as for thatching roofs[, , , ].

The stems are used to make walking sticks (believed traditionally to repel snakes), as rafters and for flooring[, , , ].
The stems are used as posts[].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours prior to sowing[]. The seed germinates best at a temperature of 21 - 27°c[].
Division of offsets[].

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