Corypha utan, the cabbage palm, buri palm or gebang palm, is a species of palm native to Asia and Oceania.

Corypha utan
At Kowanyama, Queensland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Corypha
Species:
C. utan
Binomial name
Corypha utan
Synonyms[1]
  • Borassus sylvestris Giseke nom. illeg.
  • Corypha elata Roxb.
  • Corypha gebang Mart.
  • Corypha gembanga (Blume) Blume
  • Corypha griffithiana Becc.
  • Corypha macrophylla Roster
  • Corypha macropoda Kurz
  • Corypha sylvestris Mart. nom. illeg.
  • Gembanga rotundifolia Blume
  • Livistona vidalii Becc.
  • Taliera elata (Roxb.) Wall.
  • Taliera gembanga Blume nom. illeg.
  • Taliera sylvestris Blume nom. illeg.

Description

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It grows up to 20 metres (66 feet) tall, and, on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, up to 1.5 meters (4' 11") thick[2] (exceeded only by Borassus aethiopum and Jubaea chilensis) and bears palmate fronds 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) long. The subspecies or variety C.u. macropoda of the Andaman Islands has a blade or lamina up to twenty feet (6.2 meters) in diameter mounted on stalks (laminae) up to 25 feet (7.5 meters) in length.[3] Like other palms of the genus Corypha, this species flowers once at the end of its lifetime (monocarpy), producing a massive inflorescence up to 5 m tall containing up to one million flowers.[4]

Distribution and habitat

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It is distributed from the Assam region of India through Indochina, Malaysia, and Indonesia to the Philippines and New Guinea, and south to Australia's Cape York Peninsula.[4] Growing along watercourses, floodplains and grasslands, the Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia write about the Corypha utan palms occurring in Cape York:

Corypha utan .. is undoubtedly one of the most imposing species in the Australian palm flora (with its massive pachycaul trunks and hapaxanthic flowering and fruiting extravaganza.[5]

Uses

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The starch contained inside the trunk is edible raw or cooked, as is the tip-top. The flowering stalks can be beaten to produce liquid. The nut kernels are also edible.[6]

In Lamakera, its (ketebu) leaves are made into fibres weaved with sea hibiscus bark to make rope for whaling harpoons.[7]

Locally known as buri or buli in the Philippines, the leaves of Corypha utan are widely used in weaving fans, baskets, and mats.[8][9] Additionally, in Isla Verde, Batangas where this palm tree grows abundantly, Corypha utan sap is extracted, cooked and made into the sweet delicacy called "Pakaskas".[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  2. ^ Tucker, Robert (1988). Palms of Subequatorial Queensland. Milton, QLD: Palm and Cycad Society of Australia. p. 28.
  3. ^ Journal of the Asiatic Society of Benghal, Volume 43 (1874) Part 2 pages 205-206 plus plate #15
  4. ^ a b Corypha utan Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia web page Accessed 20 June 2009
  5. ^ Corypha utan On Cape York Peninsula, Queensland Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia web page Archived 2006-08-31 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 20 June 2009
  6. ^ The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants. United States Department of the Army. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. 2009. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-60239-692-0. OCLC 277203364.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ^ Barnes, R. H. (1996). "Lamakera, Solor. Ethnographic Notes on a Muslim Whaling Village of Eastern Indonesia". Anthropos. 91 (1/3): 75–88. JSTOR 40465273.
  8. ^ "Philippine Medicinal Plants: Buri". www.stuartxchange.org.
  9. ^ M., Queypo-Queddeng; J., Puzon; Development, Rabena, A.R., University of Northern Philippines, Vigan City 2700 (Philippines). Research and (2010-01-01). "Multipurpose use of buri (Corypha elata Roxb. or Corrypha utan) and its nutritive value". Philippine Journal of Crop Science (Philippines). ISSN 0115-463X.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ meryenda. "The Peculiar Life of a Buri Palm". meryenda.substack.com. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  11. ^ "DOST BRINGS S&T TO VERDE ISLAND, PAKASKAS UNDERGO IMPROVEMENT". www.science.ph. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
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