5721

5(3): Timber trees; Lesser-known timbers

Licuala Wurmb

Verh. Batav. Genootsch. Kunsten 2: 469, 473 (1780).

PALMAE

x = 8, 14; L. grandis H. Wendl., L. paludosa: 2n = 16, L. peltata Roxb., L. spinosa: 2n = 28

Licuala palm (En). Indonesia: palas (general). Malaysia: gerenis (Sarawak), loyar (Besisi, Peninsular), palas (Peninsular), silad (Sabah). Philippines: balatbat (Tagalog). Burma (Myanmar): salu. Thailand: ka pho. Vietnam: l[uj]i.

Licuala comprises about 130 species occurring in north-eastern India, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, southern China, Thailand, throughout the Malesian region, the Solomon Islands, northern Australia and Vanuatu. The largest diversity is found in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and New Guinea.

The slender stems of some Licuala species were formerly popular as walking-sticks and are used to make bows. Larger stems are also applied as poles for local or temporary houses.
Several species, notably L. grandis, L. peltata and L. spinosa, are grown as ornamentals because of their beautiful shield-like leaves. Where Licuala is common the leaves are often used as temporary thatch, and in Sarawak also to weave mats. The young leaves are used to wrap food and wrap tobacco for smoking. The petioles are split for weaving baskets. The palm heart (pith) and palm cabbage (apex) are edible.

No trade of Licuala stems has been reported; use is local only. L. grandis is regularly encountered as a garden plant, but no trade figures are available.

Cortex includes numerous fibrous and small vascular bundles, the latter with massive fibrous phloem sheaths; periphery of the central cylinder marked by numerous congested bundles each with numerous fibres sheathing the single small phloem strand; xylem sheathed by parenchyma only; central vascular bundles similar, often with conspicuous protoxylem elements; metaxylem with 1 wide vessel, phloem undivided; ground parenchyma uniform, without fibrous strands, not undergoing secondary expansion, although developing large intercellular spaces.

Usually unarmed, pleonanthic, densely or diffusely clustered or solitary, usually small, stemless to shrubby or rarely tree-like palms up to 18 m tall; pole of tree-like species straight, slender, closely ringed with leaf scars, partly obscured by remains of leaf sheaths. Leaves palmate; sheaths disintegrating into fibres; petiole unarmed or armed with teeth or spines; blade many-folded, undivided or variously split along the ribs, the segments wedge-shaped, reduplicate, blunt. Inflorescence between the leaves, spicate to branched to 2(-3) orders; peduncle short to very long. Flowers bisexual, solitary or in groups of 2-3, crowded to distant; calyx fused at base, truncate, splitting irregularly or 3-lobed; corolla with 3 valvate lobes; stamens 6, filaments free or united in a tube; ovary superior, 3-carpellate with a single ovule in each carpel, carpels united distally, style columnar, stigma small. Fruit a 1-seeded, globose to ellipsoid or spindle-shaped drupe, maturing orange or red to black, 1-3 carpels developing, perianth persistent. Seed with homogeneous endosperm, intrusion of the integument conspicuous and lateral. Seedling with remote-tubular germination; eophyll strap-shaped, plicate, variably truncate and minutely lobed at apex.
The flowers produce nectar and are pollinated by insects. Fruits are reputed to be eaten and dispersed by birds.
Licuala is closely related to Johannesteijsmannia and Livistona, but can easily be recognized by the wedge-shaped, reduplicate segments of the leaf. It belongs to the subtribe Livistoninae of the tribe Corypheae within the subfamily Coryphoideae.

Licuala is generally found in primary or occasionally secondary rain forest undergrowth, at low altitudes, sometimes abundant. L. spinosa is known to survive well in the open. A few species are restricted to swampy habitats, several others are found in montane habitats.

The slow growth and sometimes specific habitat requirements make Licuala difficult to handle as an ornamental; only L. grandis is easy to grow. L. spinosa can be propagated by seed. Seeds remain viable for 4-6 weeks. Most species take a long time to germinate, a germination period of over one year is not unusual; for L. spinosa, however, germination starts after about 30 days.

Several Licuala species (but not one of those treated below) are endangered in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. L. spinosa is greatly reduced in Palawan due to excessive collection for sale as an ornamental.

Licuala is a multipurpose palm; it is unlikely that use of its timber will increase.

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[986]Saw, L.G., 1997. A revision of Licuala (Palmae) in the Malay Peninsula. Sandakania 10: 1-95.
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[1038]Smitinand, T., 1980. Thai plant names. Royal Forest Department, Bangkok. 379 pp.
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L.G. Saw

Licuala acutifida
Licuala paludosa
Licuala spinosa

Saw, L.G., 1998. Licuala Wurmb. In: Sosef, M.S.M., Hong, L.T. and Prawirohatmodjo, S. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 5(3): Timber trees; Lesser-known timbers. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea

The following species in this genus are important in this commodity group and are treated separatedly in this database:
Licuala acutifida
Licuala paludosa
Licuala spinosa