Caryota urens

Mehmud, Selim & Roy, Himu, 2021, Diversity and distribution of palms (Arecaceae) in Assam, India, Check List 17 (1), pp. 69-93 : 82

Caryota urens L.

Diagnostic characters. Clustered or solitary, 20–25 m tall, woody palm tree; internodes 30–35 cm long and 30– 50 cm in diameter. Leaf bipinnate, 5–7 m long; sheath green, 2–3 m long, margin with black fibre. Primary pin- nae 10–16 in number, gradually short towards apex; sec- ondary pinnae alternate, linear, 25–34 cm long, jagged and tip elongated. Inflorescences below the leaf, 2–3 m long; rachillae 1–1.2 m long; pistillate flower globose, 0.8–1.1 cm long, in between two ovate staminate flowers ca 3 cm. Fruit red to purple, round, 1.5 cm in diameter.

Flowering and fruiting. June to January and September to November, respectively.

Distribution. Throughout Assam; on plains and in hilly areas.

Vernacular names. Sau (Assamese).

Uses. As masticator (fruit), handle sticks and in hand- looms (mature stem).

Material examined. INDIA • Assam, Barnadi WLS, Bo- gamati; alt. 190 m; 12 Sep. 2011; S. R. Talukdar leg.; AS- SAM 84162 . • Assam, Jorhat, Gibbon WLS; 16 Jun. 2010; Ranjit Daimari leg.; ASSAM 81028 . • Assam, Dhemaji, Pera Bhari ; 27°33′27.4″N, 094°35′18.9″E; alt. 53 m; 08 May 2019; S. Mehmud leg. ; CH, ASSAM 96235 .