Arecaceae (palm family) »
Caryota urens
kair-ee-OH-tuh or
kar-RY-oh-tuh -- from the Greek
karyon (nut)
UR-ens -- meaning, burning or stinging
commonly known as: fishtail palm, jaggery palm, toddy palm, wine palm •
Hindi: बन खजूर ban-khajur, माड़ी mari •
Kannada: bagani, baini, indu •
Malayalam: ചൂണ്ടപ്പന cuuntappana •
Marathi: भेरली माड bherli-maad, सुरमाड sur-maad •
Sanskrit: श्रीताल sritalah •
Tamil: கூந்தற்பனை kuntaypanai, திப்பிலிப்பனை tippili-p-panai •
Telugu: జిలుగు jeelugu
Origin: India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka
The toddy palm is a fast growing feather palm that makes a beautiful addition to the landscape. It has a gray trunk (grows to about 30') that is covered by regularly spaced leaf scar rings.
Toddy palm has a leaf shape that resembles the lower fin of a fish. When these palms grow to reach 20', they start producing flowers at the top of the trunk with subsequent flowers produced lower and lower on the trunk. When the lowest flower blooms, the tree dies. Flowers are long plait like bunches hanging down. Toddy palm is an Asian species that grows from India to Burma and on the island country of Sri Lanka.
References:
Flowers of India •
Top Tropicals •
Dave's Garden
Blogged at:
Slice of the Day by Vasant Salian
