page_title: Borassus
section_title: Cultivation and uses
hierarchical_section_title: Borassus / Cultivation and uses
caption_attribution_description: Angkor Wat temple, by Andrew Lih
context_page_description: Borassus is a genus of five species of fan palms, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and New Guinea.
context_section_description: Palmyra palms are economically useful and widely cultivated, especially in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The palmyra palm has long been one of the most important trees of Cambodia and India, where it has over 800 uses. The leaves are used for thatching, mats, baskets, fans, hats, umbrellas, and as writing material.
  In Sri Lanka, it is more common in the northern part of the country, where it has many uses including the production of jaggery from the syrup .
  In Cambodia, the tree is a national floral symbol/emblem that is seen growing around Angkor Wat. Palmyra palms can live for over 100 years.
  In ancient India and Indonesia, palmyra leaves were used as writing paper, with their parallel veins providing a useful rule. In India, mature leaves of suitable size, shape and texture were chosen and preserved by boiling in salt water with turmeric powder. Once dry enough, the leaf surfaces were polished with pumice, cut to the proper size and a hole was cut in one corner. Each leaf has four pages and a stylus is used to write; the style is cursive and interconnected. Completed leaves are then tied up as sheaves.
  The black timber is hard, heavy, and durable and highly valued for construction, especially in structures exposed to water, such as wharves, fences and boats.
  The tree yields many types of food. The young plants are cooked as a vegetable or roasted and pounded to make meal. The fruits are eaten roasted or raw, as are the young, jelly-like seeds. A sugary sap, called toddy, can be obtained from the young inflorescence, both male and female, and this is fermented to make a beverage called arrack, or concentrated to produce a crude sugar called jaggery/palm sugar. It is called Gula Jawa (Javanese sugar) in Indonesia and is widely used in Javanese cuisine. The roots can be dried to form Odiyal, a hard chewable snack. In addition, the tree sap is taken as a laxative, and medicinal values have been ascribed to other parts of the plant.
caption: The main entrance of Angkor Wat to the temple proper, seen from the eastern end of the Nāga causeway and Asian palmyra palm
exif: {}