Everything about Nypa Fruticans totally explained
Nypa fruticans, known as the
Attap Palm (
Singapore),
Nipa Palm (
Philippines), and
Mangrove Palm or
Nipah palm (
Indonesia,
Malaysia),
Dừa Nước (
Vietnam),
Gol Pata (
Bangladesh),
Dani (
Burma) is the only
palm considered a
mangrove. This species, the only one in the
genus Nypa, grows in southern
Asia and northern
Australia.
Fossil mangrove palm
pollen has been dated to 70 million years ago. Fossil nuts of
Nypa occur in Branksome sandbeds of
Tertiary,
Eocene age near Bournemouth, and in the London Clay at Isle of Sheppey, Kent, testifying to much warmer climatic conditions in Britain at that time.
The Nipa palm has a horizontal trunk that grows beneath the ground and only the
leaves and
flower stalk grow upwards above the surface. Thus, it can't be considered a tree, although the leaves can extend up to 9 m (30 ft) in height. The flowers are a globular
inflorescence of female flowers at the tip with
catkin-like red or yellow male flowers on the lower branches. The flower yields a woody seed, these arranged in a cluster compressed into a ball up to 25 cm (10 in) across on a single stalk. The ripe seeds separate from the ball and are floated away on the tide, occasionally
germinating while still water-borne.
Nipa palms grow in soft mud and slow moving tidal and river waters that bring in nutrients. The palm can be found as far inland as the tide can deposit the floating seeds. It is common on coasts and rivers flowing into the
Indian and
Pacific Oceans, from
Bangladesh to the Pacific Islands. The plant will survive occasional short term drying of its environment.
Nypa fruticans is an
endangered species in Singapore.
Uses
The long, feathery leaves of the Nipa palm are used by local populations as
roof material for
thatched houses or
dwellings. The leaves are also used in many types of
basketry and
thatching.
The flower cluster (
inflorescence) can be tapped before it blooms to yield a sweet, edible
sap collected to produce a local
alcoholic beverage called Tuba. Tuba is also stored in Tapayan (balloon vases) for several weeks to make vinegar in the Philippines, commonly known as
Sukang Paombong (pure vinegar made from the province of Paombong, Bulacan). Young shoots are also edible and the flower petals can be infused to make an aromatic tisane.
Attap chee ("chee" meaning "seed" in several Chinese dialects) is a name for the immature
fruits -- sweet, translucent, gelatinous balls used as a dessert ingredient in Malaysia and Singapore. On the islands of
Roti and
Savu, Nipah sap is fed to pigs during the dry season. This is said to impart a sweet flavour to the meat. The young leaves are used to wrap
tobacco for smoking. Large stems are used to train swimming in Burma as it has
bouyancy.
Nipah has a very high sugar-rich sap yield. Fermented into
ethanol, the palm's large amount of sap may allow for the production of 15,000 to 20,000 liters of the biofuel per hectare (compare with sugarcane at 5000-8000 liters, or corn, at 2000 liters).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Nypa Fruticans'.
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