Difference between revisions of "Metroxylon salomonense"

"Metroxylon salomonense, with its massive terminal bloom spike, was one of the palm prizes in the Botanic Garden in Lae. It comes from the Solomon Islands, part of which lie within the nation of Papua New Guinea. Various species of this genus, have dense stores of edible starch in their trunks, and are called Sagos." (Frederick B. Essig) See photo below & external link.

Unlike Metroxylon sagu, which is propagated almost exclusively from basal offshoots, the other Metroxylon species can only be propagated from seed. Metroxylon salomonense is normally propagated by sowing in situ, but sometimes germinated seed is transplanted. (proseanet.org)

The origin of Metroxylon is disputed: Moluccan, Moluccan and New Guinean, or Melanesian. It only occurs in South-East Asia and several island groups of Micronesia and Melanesia. The distribution areas of the five species in this genus within this area are neighbouring but hardly overlap. Metroxylon sagu is the most widespread and naturalized throughout South-East Asia. The other four occur from the Federated States of Micronesia and the Bismarck Archipelago north of New Guinea to Western Samoa far to the east of it.; - Metroxylon amicarum is found in the Federated States of Micronesia (native in Pohnpei and Truk, probably planted in Nukuoro, and in Kusaie), and cultivated in the Philippines and in Guam.; - Metroxylon salomonense grows in Papua New Guinea (north-eastern New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville Island), throughout the Solomon Islands (e.g. Guadalcanal, Santa Cruz Islands), and in Vanuatu (probably imported).; - Metroxylon warburgii is found in Vanuatu (indigenous), in West Samoa, and in the Fijian depency Rotuma, while its occurrence on Tikopia in Solomon Islands is uncertain.; - Metroxylon vitiense only occurs in Fiji (e.g. on Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, and Ovalau). (proseanet.org)

The main useful products from Metroxylon palms are starch from the pith of the trunks, roof thatch from leaflets, and vegetable ivory from the hard endosperm of seeds.; The four more easterly occurring Metroxylon species have always been used far less for starch than Metroxylon sagu, and since the 1950s their use has died out in most places where they occur. There are no reports of the starch in Metroxylon amicarum trunks being exploited. At present, Rotuma (Fiji) is the easternmost point where starch is produced from these species, i.e. Metroxylon warburgii.; Metroxylon thatch is widely preferred to Nypa and Cocos thatch in many parts of South-East Asia and the Pacific where these palms are available together.; Vegetable ivory is derived not only from the corozo nuts (Phytelephas macrocarpa Ruiz & Pavon) of Ecuador and Peru, but also from the fruits of Metroxylon species. The most usual source used to be Metroxylon salomonense, with much smaller amounts coming from Metroxylon amicarum and even less from the fruits of Metroxylon warburgii and Metroxylon vitiense. Buttons were the main objects manufactured, though chessmen, umbrella handles and other ornaments were also made. The demand for vegetable ivory has dwindled since the introduction of plastics.; Other uses and main site-specific uses are:; - Metroxylon salomonense. There are recent reports of the use of starch extracted from the pith in East Futuna, Anuta, Tikopia and Kolombangara in the western Solomons, and from the Santa Cruz Islands. Unprocessed pith from the trunk is fed to domestic pigs. Building material from the leaves is the most important use (the universal thatch provider). Starch from the trunk is collected and processed throughout Bougainville Island (Papua New Guinea). Fronds are used for thatching throughout the islands of Bougainville and Buka. The plant is an item of the nursery trade in ornamental plants in northern Queensland, Australia.; - Metroxylon warburgii. In Vanuatu (New Hebrides), the people only know of the tradition of extracting and using the starch from this palm as food. Nowadays they value Metroxylon warburgii solely for its leaves and trunks, which they use to build houses. In Rotuma (Fiji), starch extracted from the trunk is used to thicken soups and stews, to starch clothing, and is cooked (e.g. baked or fried after being wetted and wrapped in a banana leaf); the midribs of leaflets are used to make brooms; immature fruits are eaten raw after the pericarp has been removed. In western Samoa the practice of using starch from this palm has almost been forgotten.; - Metroxylon vitiense. In Fiji, starch from the trunk is only occasionally extracted; leaves used to be, and indeed still are, applied in thatching.; - Metroxylon spp. On Tikopia (Santa Cruz Islands in the Solomons), an undocumented Metroxylon species (`rakau ota`) - probably Metroxylon warburgii, but possibly Metroxylon salomonense - is used: its trunk for starch, its leaflets for thatch, and its petioles to make rafts. The starch is used in times of scarcity, but it is also regarded as a delicacy (a food particularly for infants and the elderly). It is often used as an emollient to mix with other foods to give them bulk, flavour, and smoothness.; In Bougainville Island (Papua New Guinea), an undocumented Metroxylon species - Metroxylon salomonense or Metroxylon sagu - is regularly used for starch; sago beetle grubs are also collected from this palm, and burnt petioles were an important source of salt until the 1950s. As starch plants, Metroxylon species other than Metroxylon sagu are not very productive, and cannot be readily propagated vegetatively. The effort needed to produce food from these palms compares unfavourably with other ways of procuring food energy. They are, however, useful as emergency food; during the life cycle of the once-flowering species, harvestable quantities of starch remain stored in the live trunk for several years.; Their importance as providers of thatch will slowly decline as more durable building materials take over.; The role of vegetable ivory in manufacturing has since long been taken over by synthetic products. Vegetable ivory from Metroxylon species may play a modest role in local tourist industries as a material for carving souvenirs. (proseanet.org)