Distribution: Native of Africa; introduced and cultivated in Indo-Malesia and Australia
Description: Tree palms; stem obscurely hoped. Leaves simple, palmate, plicately multifid; apex acuminate; peduncle sheathed with open spathes. Male flowers small, clustered. Female flowers large, globose. Perianth fleshy, accrescent. Drupes globose, yellow when ripe, with pyrenes.
Habit: Tree
Habitat: In dry areas and along bunds in paddy fields
Flowering & Fruiting: March-September
Parts used: Root, leaves, inflorescences and fruit
Properties & Uses: The plant is anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, diuretic, antidote, anti-inflammatory and wound healing. The roots are useful in burning sensation and inflammation. The juice of the leaf stalk and young roots are good for gastric catarrh and hiccough. The ash obtained by burning the inflorescence is a good antacid and antiperiodic. The fruits are useful in burning sensation, intestinal worms, skin diseases and constipation.