Once while living in Krabi, several times a day we saw strange fruits on palm trees that are not eaten. We even lived in a house in Krabi, which stood in a palm grove, and grew up there, as we later found out oil palm!
Oil palm grove
By the way, while we spent the winter in Thailand, we saw a lot of plants and their fruits, edible and not so much. In large supermarkets such as MAKRO, TESCO, BIG-C you can find absolutely everything, or 99% of what you need, familiar products, because these stores were created specifically for farangs.
So, Firstly we knew that there were date palms (since Egypt). And also coconuts, which are plentiful in Thailand, from which I extracted coconuts myself :). Well, not tall banana palms, the fruits and even leaves of which are used for cooking.
Secondly, It seems that everything that can be eaten from the vegetation of Tai was sold at local markets, and we tried a lot of fruits. However, the fruits of the oil palm were unfamiliar to us and did not resemble anything.
Third, There were so many oil palm plantations in Krabi that I couldn’t help but become interested in them. The fruits were an interesting orange-red color, protected by large spines that somewhat resembled porcupines. As a normal curious person, I had to figure it out!
As a result, we were lucky enough to see the felled oil palm fruits nearby, in one of the palm groves, when we were returning from MAKRO by a short road. I even tried to break off the fruit to see what it looked like from the inside, but it turned out to be so dense, and the thorns were so sharp and strong, that I can’t imagine how the Thais cope with them.
Unripe oil palm fruits
You won’t envy an oil palm fruit picker; each branch is very heavy and prickly, growing to the trunk of the palm tree so that it cannot be cut off, it must be cut down.
On the Internet I found (not the first time, of course) various palm fruits, and determined that it was oil palms that surrounded us. But why are there so many of them?
It turned out that this is part Agriculture in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The first palm plantation appeared in Malaysia, and along with rubber, oil, gas; Oil from the fruit of the oil palm is one of the Indonesian and Malaysian exports. That’s why we saw such an abundance of these palms in Krabi (this city is located on the border with Malaysia); in other regions of Thailand there are more coconut palms.
There are 2 types of oil: palm oil itself and palm kernel oil. The first is a rather thick red-orange mass obtained by squeezing the fleshy fruits and further purifying them. The second type of oil, with a characteristic nutty smell and taste, is made from palm seeds.
Tropical oils are widely used in confectionery and cooking, as well as in the production of margarine. Palm oil sachets are placed in packages of Doshirak noodles, for example, which I used while still a student. It is also used for frying chips, and in some tropical countries for salad dressing.
Sweet juice is obtained from cuts in the petioles of inflorescences, and they drink it in fresh, and also used to produce alcoholic beverages. From one plant you can get about 4 liters of juice per day.
Also made from palm oil good soap, high-quality suppositories, used in medicine as a base for ointments, and, perhaps most importantly...
There are cars that run on this fuel. However, this is not the same gasohol (biofuel 91st gasoline), which is obtained by diluting ethanol with 91st gasoline, which is much cheaper in Thailand. At every gas station you will find both standard gasoline (with an octane rating of 91, 95, 98) and gasohol!
Even in ancient times they knew about palm oil. Archaeologists have discovered some ancient finds that undoubtedly indicate that Palm oil used in cooking around the third millennium BC. e. At this time, palm oil was extracted only on the African continent. And only in the 18th century, sailors from Europe brought palm oil to us. And along with the oil, the palm trees themselves began to actively spread, serving as raw materials for the oil. At first they were bred for beauty, as they were quite unpretentious and looked very attractive thanks to the huge bunches of palm fruits. But over time, palm oil began to be produced in the countries of Southeast Asia. Now in modern world It is Asian countries that are the main producers and exporters of palm oil.
For a more detailed picture, search for “oil palm fruits” in the pictures.
Also watch a video about our palm grove in Krabi, where oil palms grew:
Botanical name: Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is a representative of the genus Bactris, palm family.
Peach palm – tall woody plant, reaching up to 30 m. It has a straight, smooth trunk on which thin, flexible stems are formed. The trunk in the upper part, or along its entire length, is covered with rings of long black spines. The leaves are long, large, up to 3.5 m, pinnately compound, lanceolate, dense, dark green, with spiny edges. They are attached to thick, durable petioles studded with spines. The flowers are small, yellowish-white.
On each tree male and female female flowers, collected in brushes and located in the upper part, that is, under the crown itself. The length of the inflorescence is 20–30 cm.
The fruits are formed in clusters, up to 100 pieces in each. Their shape can be different: round, oval, conical, cupped. Fruit length – 6 – 8 cm. Weight – 11 kg. The peel is thin, yellow or orange, less often red. The pulp is juicy, sweet, yellow-orange. Inside there is one large, cone-shaped bone. Externally, the fruits are very similar to peaches, which is why the tree got its name “peach palm.” Its fruiting occurs in 3–4 years. At favorable conditions blooms and bears fruit 2 times a year. The fruit harvest lasts throughout the fall. The richest harvest is harvested in October.
Spreading
Presumably, the homeland of this plant is Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, where the palm tree has long grown wild. Since ancient times, the tree has been cultivated in its homeland, as well as in neighboring countries with hot climates. Its fruits were first used by Indians for rituals. Today, the peach palm is widespread and economically important in Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, South America, India and the Philippines, from where it is exported to other countries.
Application
Fruit peach palm have high nutritional value, since they contain a large number of fats, starch and vitamins A and C. They are consumed fresh and are also used in the manufacture of desserts, wines and soft drinks. In addition, flour and butter are made from the pulp. The leaves are used to feed the livestock of the local population.
Shelf life of this product quite small, no more than 4 days, after which the fruit begins to deteriorate and becomes moldy, so it is exported canned.
Palm trees are considered the most ancient plants that originally reproduced by seeds and pollen. IN natural conditions they can reach up to 9 meters in height if growth is not artificially restrained. The size of a palm tree at home depends on care. The tallest palm tree in the world is the Wax Palm; its height can reach up to 50 meters. This tree is the main plant symbol of Colombia.
The name comes from the Latin word “palma”, which means “palm”. And this is not surprising, because the leaves of the plant really resemble splayed fingers on the palm of a person.
ON A NOTE! In Greece, an athlete who won a competition was awarded a palm branch. It was at this moment that the catchphrase “palm of championship” was born.
Bloom indoor palm tree looks like a calla lily blooming. For example, yucca has large white flowers that look like bells. Basically, the palm tree blooms with small yellow or white flowers on a small cluster.
I would like to remind you that nature did not create for us houseplants, and we are trying to grow them hoping that they will take root at home. Palma is no exception. There are several types that will feel great at home:
- Howey Forster.
- Hamedorea.
- Rapisa.
Appearance of the plant
On average, a palm tree lives about 150-200 years. For example, a coconut tree takes about 100 years to grow and produces about 450 nuts each year.
ON A NOTE! A coconut can travel thousands of kilometers through water, wash ashore, and germinate there.
There are 2 types of palm trees:
- With fan leaves. They diverge radially from the base. Bright representative- date palm.
- Cirrus. The leaves spread parallel to the sides from the vein in the center. A prominent representative is the bamboo palm.
Palms are perennial trees, less often shrubs, most of which have a non-branching trunk, at the top of which a crown grows. They can also grow as vines with thin stems. There are up to 1,500 species in tropical and subtropical areas.
Peculiarities
- The trunk of a palm tree usually does not branch (an exception is the genus of doom palms). Its thickness is about a meter, and during life it does not thicken. Among the palm trees there are climbing vines, the stems of which are about 2-3 centimeters thick and up to 300 meters long.
- The inflorescence of a palm tree is a spadix that is of impressive size and branches. Flowers are located on the branches, sometimes they are immersed in its tissue. All inflorescences are surrounded by a veil.
- What fruits grow on a palm tree? They can be in the form of a nut or a bone or a berry. Decorative palms produce fruits in the form of small round berries.
Exotic varieties
Let's talk about the types of exotic palm trees and how they bloom.
Decorative palm trees at home look very exotic.
The most common include:
- Brachea. Loves light, but grows best in partial shade. Can't do without spraying. Watering is moderate.
- Boothia. A palm tree whose leaves resemble feathers. Blooms in late spring.
- Washingtonia. fan palm, pleasing the eye with white blossoms. Can reach a height of up to 18 meters.
- Giophorba. The young representative reminds appearance vase. Blooms small flowers, smells pleasant.
- Hamedorea. Considered the most unpretentious appearance, tolerates shade well. Blooms almost all year round.
- Kariota. The leaves of the plant look like a fish tail. It blooms once a year for 5-6 years.
- Liviston. The leaves look like an open fan, reaching a height of up to 2 meters. Perfect option for rooms.
- Rapis. It grows as a shrub. Very whimsical.
- Chamerops. Massive palm tree with a dense crown. Blooms from April to June.
- Yucca. tree plant, whose foxes are collected in bunches. The white flowers look like bells.
- Govea. Graceful plant, reaching a height of up to 2.5 meters. Requires careful care.
- Date palm. The most common species, grows as a lush shrub.
- Sabal. A plant with fan-shaped leaves. The types of palm trees growing in the rooms are absolutely different from each other.
- Trachycarpus. It reaches a height of up to 2.5 meters and grows very slowly. Suitable for apartments.
Where is your homeland?
The plant has become widespread in many regions globe. They are more often found on the shores of tropical seas, high in the mountains and in humid forests. A huge number of species grow in Colombia and Madagascar. The fan palm is more common in Spain. The feathery representative can be seen more often in Greece.
Also, some species grow in the territory of the former Soviet Union, for example, on the southern coast of Crimea.
Photo
You can see how the flower looks like an indoor palm tree in the photo here.
Howea Forster 
Hamedorea 
Rapis 
Brachea 
Washingtonia 
Giophorba 
Kariota 
Liviston 
Hamerops 
Yucca 
Date palm 
Sabal 
Trachycarpus 
Family
Most palm trees belong to the Palmaceae or Arecaceae family.
What kind of care does it require?
Grow exotic plant at home is not so easy. It needs proper care:
- It is recommended to place the plant pot with south side Houses.
- In summer, the temperature should range from 16 to 20 degrees Celsius.
- IN summer period Be sure to moisturize the crown.
- WITH early spring and until late autumn the palm tree, blooming house, needs to abundant watering. Drying out the soil is unacceptable.
- Green beauties love light very much, but expose them to direct Sun rays it is forbidden.
- The plant is afraid of drafts.
- The soil for growing should be light and flat.
- Palm trees need regular feeding and fertilizers.
Reproduction
Propagating palm trees at home is quite difficult.
Certain species can only be propagated by seed.
There are also plants whose reproduction is allowed by dividing the rhizome or by daughter shoots.
Seed propagation requires careful attention. Seedlings should grow with lower heating, the temperature being about 35 degrees. How long do they grow? The first shoots can be observed after a couple of months. The lifespan of a plant grown in this way is quite long.
Scientific name
The scientific name of the palm is AREGAGEAE.
Diseases and pests
A palm tree at home can encounter the following diseases:
- Root rot.
- Stem rot.
- Penicillosis.
- Spotting.
All problems that may occur with foliage (brown tips, brown lower leaves, spotting) are associated with improper care.
Pests:
- Shield.
- Spider mite.
- Mealybugs.
Most often, insecticides are used to control pests and diseases, or they try to use traditional methods.
INTERESTING TO KNOW! The palm tree is considered a legendary tree. The people of many countries still worship this plant.
Everyone likes this magnificent tree like a palm tree. But growing it at home is quite difficult. So isn’t it better to go to warm beaches and admire the plant while relaxing?
During New Year's holidays on supermarket shelves
appears great amount strange and unusual fruits,
We don’t even know anything about the origin of many of them.
I suggest you read in the continuation of the post about how to grow
and what are these used for? Exotic fruits, such as,
royal durian, mango, dates or even papaya and many others.
How bananas grow
Bananas are native to the tropics of Southeast Asia.
As a food, bananas are cultivated in the tropics.
At temperatures below 16 C, growth slows down significantly, and at 10 C it stops altogether.
Contrary to popular belief, bananas do not grow on palm trees.
banana plant is a 5 meter high grass similar to a palm tree.
With a thick, up to 20 centimeters grassy trunk.
In Russia, bananas grow in the vicinity of Sochi, but the fruits do not ripen to the point of being suitable for food.
How olives grow
Olives are the fruits of a cultivated species of olive tree - Olive europaea.
This is an evergreen subtropical tree 4-5 (10-12) meters high. (Photo by Francesco Quarto):
According to international terminology, there are black olives -
ripe fruits olive tree and green olives
- unripe fruits of the olive tree. In Russia, olives are green (unripe) fruits.
black olives are called olives (ripe). This division exists only in Russia.
How does avocado grow?
The English name for the avocado tree and its fruits is alligator pear.
Avocado is a fast-growing tree, reaching a height of 18 meters. The trunk is usually straight and highly branched.
Avocado is an oval or spherical fruit, often similar to a pear, 5–20 cm long, weighing 0.05–1.8 kg.
Where does durian grow?
Durian is a tropical tree of the Malvaceae family, the fruit of which is
a fruit famous for both its taste and smell.
Durian is native to Southeast Asia.
Durian grows on tall trees up to 45 meters high.
These are big fruits. They weigh more than 5 kg and have a very hard shell covered with spines.
To understand the scale of durian.
How do watermelons grow?
Watermelon is a plant of the pumpkin family. Watermelon is native to South Africa.
where it still occurs in the wild.
Watermelon was often placed in the tombs of pharaohs as a source of food in their afterlife.
IN Western Europe Watermelons were introduced during the era of the Crusades.
Watermelons grow almost like cucumbers. The fields are called melon fields, in which long vines stretch along the ground.
Watermelons are formed on them:
Interesting fact: the world record for the weight of watermelons is approximately 119 kilograms.
How does a mango grow?
Mango - genus tropical plants and the name of a fruit with a sweet taste and fibrous structure.
This plant is one of national symbols in India and Pakistan.
Evergreen mango tree has a height of 10-45 meters; the crown of the tree reaches a radius of 10 meters.
Blooming mango tree:
Ripe fruits hanging on long stems and weigh up to 2 kg.
Where do dates grow?
As you might guess, dates grow on the date palm. Since ancient times, dates
used by humans as a highly valuable food product.
They are usually sold as dried fruits.
The date palm was grown as early as the 4th century BC. in Mesopotamia, on the territory of which modern Iraq is located.
The date palm brings high yields for 60-80 years.
How does papaya grow?
Papaya is native to southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America,
but it is now grown in all tropical countries.
Papaya, or melon tree, is a low, slender tree with a thin, branchless trunk 5–10 meters high.
The flowers develop in the axils of the leaves, turning into large fruits, 10–30 cm in diameter and 15–45 cm in length.
How does a plum grow?
In total, several hundred types of plums are known, common,
mainly in the northern temperate regions of the globe.
The plum tree usually grows up to 6 meters in height:
Blooming plum tree:
How does grapefruit grow?
Grapefruit - subtropical evergreen tree kind of citrus.
The botanist-priest Griffiths Hughes was the first to tell the world about grapefruit in 1750.
The name is derived from English. grape (grapes) and fruit (fruit), since grapefruit fruits are often collected in clusters,
thus resembling bunches of grapes.
The evergreen tree is usually about 5-6 m in height,
however, there have been cases when the height of the tree reached 13-15 m.
The fruits reach a diameter of 10-15 cm. Average term, for which
The fruits ripen in approximately 9-12 months.
Where does pomegranate grow?
Pomegranate is a genus of shrubs and small trees with thorny branches reaching a height of 5-6 meters.
50-60 kg of fruits are usually collected from one tree. The tree lives about 100 years.
Pomegranate comes from Persia, and its name translated from Latin means “grainy”, “faceted”.
According to ancient legend, there are exactly the same number of seeds in a pomegranate as there are days in a year.
But in fact, a pomegranate can contain more than a thousand grains.
Where the coconut grows
The scientific name of the genus comes from the Portuguese word coco ("monkey") and is given because of the spots on the nut,
which make it look like a monkey's face. Motherland coconut tree not exactly known
- presumably she comes from Southeast Asia (Malaysia).
It is now ubiquitous in the tropics of both hemispheres.
Coconut palm - tall tree(up to 27–30 meters).
Trunk - 15-45 cm in diameter, leaves 3-6 meters long:
Coconuts grow in groups of 15-20, fully ripening within 8-10 months.
How do pineapples grow?
Pineapples grow in tropical South America and south to Argentina and Paraguay.
A pineapple - land plant with a thorny stem and leaves.
In orderly rows. Pineapple plantation.
Picking pineapples.
Pineapples weigh from 2 to 15 kg and look like a big pine cone:
How do oranges grow?
Oranges grow on orange trees height from 4-6 to 12 meters.
The orange is native to Southeast Asia.
European travelers brought the orange to Europe in the 15th century.
In Argentina, even a special aircraft was developed for transporting oranges (FMA I.Ae. 38 Naranjero).
Its name (Spanish: Naranjero) translates as “Orange” or “Orange Merchant”.
Global population growth requires an increase in the number of products. Vegetable oil is no exception. The world produces and consumes huge quantities of it. On the territory of Russia, the most common sunflower is one of the types vegetable oil. In addition to it, there are still several dozen varieties, all of them have a name according to the plant or fruit from which they are produced. The most popular include palm, soy, rapeseed, olive and sunflower. Moreover, they also differ in the level of global production and consumption, for example, palm oil takes the leading position, accounting for 36%, soybean oil is in second - 26%, rapeseed is in third - 15%, and sunflower oil is only in fourth, occupying 9 percent of the total. .
What is it made from?
Palm oil is extracted from the fruits of the oil palm, which is native to West Africa. Her Latin name– Elaeisguineensis – translated as “olive” (elaion) and “Guinea” (guineensis). The first mention of it is found in the records of traders traveling across the African continent, dating back to the 15th century. However, today the main suppliers of this natural product are Indonesia and Malaysia. It's not hard to guess why - thanks to the tenacity and hard work of these East Asian peoples, and of course the warm and humid climate there. A third of the world's palm oil is grown and produced in these regions. In nature, palm trees can reach 30 meters, cultivated varieties - 15 meters. The tree begins to bear fruit at the age of 3-4 years. From one hectare of young palm trees you can collect up to 3 tons of fruits, from mature plants - up to 15 tons. Palm trees grown on plantations produce crops 2-4 times a year. The fruits of the oil palm, similar to plums, grow in whole fruit clusters - “heaps” of thousands, weighing from 25 kilograms.
What are palm tree fruits?
Looks like oil palm fruit They look like a plum or a date, under the pericarp of which there is an oily pulp, followed by a nut shell with an inner kernel (palm kernel oil is also prepared from it).
What are the main types of oils made from oil palm fruits?
Palm oil color directly depends on the color of the fruit pulp. It can have a wide range of colors: from yellowish to dark red shades. Its scent is reminiscent of violets. After processing, including rectification (separation into components), bleaching and deodorization, it can be used for food. The refined product is mainly used during frying and as a salad dressing. It is also one of the components in the preparation of ice cream, chips, “quick” cereals, chocolate, various bakery and confectionery products, sausages, mayonnaise, etc.
Palm kernel oil extracted from kernels its characteristics are very similar to coconut, and is often used with/instead of it. The production and processing process of this type is more complex and expensive. It is produced in smaller quantities and is valued higher than usual. The scope of application of the palm kernel product is the production of high-quality expensive cosmetics and perfumes.
About beneficial and harmful properties
It's impossible not to say that there are types according to the degree of processing: raw, refined and technical.
The most expensive of them is the first - unprocessed. But it does not occur here. Crude palm oil contains a lot of vitamin E, provitamin A, and carotenoids. This positive side product properties.
Its harm lies in:
- high content of saturated fats,
- high melting point, or refractoriness,
- low levels of linoleic acid.
If such a degree of benefit/harm possesses something that has not undergone purification, then the refined product loses its benefits - that’s for sure, and the harmful characteristics increase.
Next view according to the degree of processing - technical. Most often this type is used for the production of inexpensive cosmetics and process lubrication. It's the cheapest. And therein lies the catch. Many food manufacturers, in order to save money, add exactly this to their production process. technical variety. There is no need to talk about its harmfulness. You just need to remember the unprocessed product and increase it elevenfold!
Whether or not to buy products that contain palm oil is up to everyone to decide for themselves.