Palms   Eleiodoxa conferta

Synonymy: Salacca conferta Common Names: Kelumi, Asam paya Distribution & Habitat: Found in freshwater swamps throughout tropical Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra where they form large colonies. Description: An acaulescant, dioecious, clustering palm which forms dense thickets. The leaves are up to 3.5 metres long and the petioles are armed with whorls of 5-7 cm long spines. The deep green leaflets are regularly arranged along the rachis, and toothed along the margins. It is a hapaxanthic palm, which means that the trunks die after flowering. General: Eliodoxa is a monotypic genus, which means that E. conferta is the only species within it. This palm is widely used throughout its range, both the palm hearts and the fruits are eaten, (he fruit is often seen for sale in local markets). The leaves are used for thatching. Culture: Warm (requires tropical conditions), sheltered and very moist. It likes rich, acidic soil. Figure 2. E. conferta Figure 1. E. conferta in habitat, Bako National Park, Sarawak.   Figure 3. E. conferta leaf detail. Figure 4. E. conferta petiole detail with spines. Figure 5. E. conferta growing in a swamp, Bako National Park, Sarawak. Contributed by: Mike Gray (Figure 1,2,3,4&5) For further information try Monocot Checklist Palm Web