Arenga microcarpa, also known aren sagu or Sagu Baruk, is a perennial densely clumping palm native to the Moluccas and Papua New Guinea and cultivated in open lowland areas in northern Australia and Indonesia.[1][2][3]

Arenga microcarpa
Arenga microcarpa, GrooteEylandt, NT Herbarium
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Arenga
Species:
A. microcarpa
Binomial name
Arenga microcarpa
Becc.

The palm grows to 7 meters. It has dark glossy green leaves with whitish undersides and small red fruit.[1]

The Sagu Baruk palm is cultivated on the Talaud and Sangihe Islands for extraction of starch from the pith.[2] It is reported that Sagu flour is the primary food source for 88% of the Sangihe Island population.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Ellison, Don; Ellison, Anthony (2001). Cultivated Palms of the World. UNSW Press. p. 28. ISBN 9780868406114.
  2. ^ a b Yamamoto, Yoshinori; Oshi, Ayumi (2022). "Growth characteristics and starch productivity of 'sagu baruk'(Arenga microcarpa Becc.) on Sangihe Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia". Tropical Agriculture Development. 6 (1): 12-22.
  3. ^ Herbaria, jurisdiction:Australian Government Departmental Consortium;corporateName:Council of Heads of Australasian. "Partners". avh.ala.org.au. Retrieved 2024-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Marianus; Ashari, Sumeru (2015). "The Potential of Sagu Baruk Palm (Arenga microcarpha) as conservation plant" (PDF). Journal of Agriculture and Food Technology. 2 (1): 7-15.