Jaggery Palm

Appearance

"Caryota urens" species is a solitary-trunked tree that can measure 18 metres in height and up to 30 centimetres wide. Widely spaced leaf-scar rings cover its gray trunk which culminate in a 6 m wide, 6 m tall leaf crown. The bipinnate leaves are triangular in shape, bright to deep green, 3.5 m long, and held on 60 cm long petioles. The obdeltoid pinnae are 30 cm long with a pointed edge and a jagged edge.

The 3 m long inflorescences emerge at each leaf node, from top to bottom, producing pendent clusters of white, unisexual flowers. The fruit matures to a round, 1 cm drupe, red in color with one seed. Like all "Caryotas", the fruit contains oxalic acid, a skin and membrane irritant. As these plants are monocarpic, the completion of the flower and fruiting process results in the death of the tree.

Uses

The trunk contains a high quantity of starch and a juice can be extracted from the shoots of the flowers. The latter can be boiled into a sugary syrup. The cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked.

This species is called kithul in Sri Lanka. It is best known as the source of kithul treacle, a liquid jaggery. The sap of the tree is boiled for many hours until it turns into the thick, dark treacle, unique to Sri Lanka. Kithul treacle is used as a sweetener in both Sri Lankan and Western cooking.

Toddy is extracted from the inflorescence, and is considered somewhat powerful compared to toddy extracted from other palm trees. The pulp of the mature plant is cut, sun dried, and powdered, and is edible. It is sweet in taste. This powder is considered cool and nutritious in Coastal districts of Karnataka.
In Sri Lanka, the powder is mixed with coconut milk and cooked to make Kithul Thalapa.

Elephants are fed both the leaf and the pulp of this plant.

The leaves possess strong fibres and are used for basketry in Cambodia, where the plant is named "tunsaè". The heart of the trunk contains a starch similar to sago, as well the trunk can be used for building. The fruit, when its stiff hairs are removed, is pleasant and sweet to eat, and, as elsewhere, the Cambodians cut the stalks to make sugar, which in turn can be made into wine.