Sugar Palm

Arenga pinnata, the sugar palm, is a large, solitary feather palm of tropical Asia. Its upright crown of long pinnate leaves rises above a trunk hidden by coarse black fibers, and mature palms are valued for both their strong architectural form and the products obtained from their sap and leaf bases. ## Size and setting Allow room for a canopy that can reach roughly 20 metres (about 66 feet) in warm tropical conditions. It suits a large tropical landscape, park or spacious collection rather than a small residential bed. [Kew](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:664261-1/general-information) describes it as a wet-tropical tree; Singapore’s [National Parks Board](https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/2/3285) lists it for full sun and roadside or ornamental planting. ## Growth and uses The palm flowers at maturity and then the stem dies after flowering and fruiting, as described in Kew’s [Palms of New Guinea account](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:664261-1/general-information). [Kew](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:664261-1/general-information) records inflorescences tapped for sap used to make sugar and fermented products; black sheath fibers have traditional uses including rope and thatch. Immature seeds are eaten after appropriate preparation. Keep children and pets away from fallen fruit and fronds, and do not consume unprepared plant parts. ## Maintenance Give the root zone moderate water and moist but well-drained soil. Remove old fronds carefully: heavy dead leaf stalks can fall from the crown and cause injury.