FISHTAIL PALM

Fishtail palm- Caryota:

Family: Caryota belongs to the Palm family.

Common name: Caryota is a genus commonly known as fishtail palms because of the fishtail-like shape of its leaves.

Flowering period: Summer

Habitat: The Caryota plants are native to India. They usually grow in mountainous areas but can also adapt to warm mediterranean climates as well as tropical and subtropical climates.

Uses: Caryota is drought tolerant and low maintenance, which is why it is often grown as a houseplant. The flowers of one of the species in this group, caryota urens, are used to make jaggery and palm wine.

Key features: The tree is around 8 to 20 feet in height. Fishtail palms have leaves that can grow to staggeringly large sizes and are divided into numerous leaflets. The ragged edges of these leaves resemble the tail of a fish. The caryota plant has both male and female flowers on the same plant. These flowers form small red fruits containing a single seed, with toxic oxalic crystals on the outside but an edible pulp on the inside.