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Western Ghats Sago Palm
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Western Ghats Sago Palm
ative Photo: Siddarth Machado
Common name: Western Ghats Sago Palm, Wild Coconut • Kannada: ಬೆಟ್ಟ ತೆಂಗು betta thengu, ಕಾಡು ಈಚಲು kaadu eechalu, ಕಾಡು ತೆಂಗು kaadu thengu, ದಡಿಸೆ dadise, ಧೂಢ್ಸಾಲ dhudsal • Malayalam: അലട്ടിത്തേങ്ങ alattiltenna, കാരംപനൈ karampanai, കാട്ടുതേങ്ങ് kattuthengu, മലന്തെങ്ങ് malanthengu, ഞെട്ടിപ്പന njettippana • Marathi: धूडसाल dhudsal • Tamil: ஆலம்பனை alampanai, காட்டுதேங்காய் kattuthengai • Tulu: ಕಾಟ್ ತಾರೆ kaatu thare Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Arenga wightii    Family: Arecaceae (Palm family)
Synonyms: Saguerus wightii

Western Ghats Sago Palm is a threatened Indian palm species. Trunk is up to 6 m tall, grey, densely clothed with the black fibrous remains of the leaf sheaths. Leaves are compound, pinnate, 3.5-8 m long. Leaflets are up to 30-100 cm x 2-2.5 cm, linear ensiform, apical one often confluent and obconic, apex narrowed, sometimes shortly, unequally 2-lobed, base asymmetricaly auricled, dark green above, glaucous beneath, margin entire or toothed in the upper half. Male and female spadices separated, 1 m long. Berry is hard, spherical, 2-3 seeded. This palm is exploited for making brooms, palm wine and even a unique source of starch. Western Ghats Sago Palm is endemic to the Western Ghats - South and Central Sahyadris.

Identification credit: Siddarth Machado Photographed in Karnataka.

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