Betta Thengu / Wight's Sago Palm
Arenga wightii
Also known as Wild Coconut
- Habit
- Palm (Cluster)
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Goa & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Arenga wightii
- Genus
- Arenga
- Family
- Arecaceae
- Habit
- Palm (Cluster)
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests at elevations 400-800 m
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (VU)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.“This is a pinnately compound leaved palm, with four-to-eight-metre-long (13 to 26 ft) leaves.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- LobedrecordedThe edge is divided into rounded or pointed sections that don't reach the midrib.“The leaf base is asymmetrical, with one of the lobes often extending over the rachis.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- GlaucousrecordedCoated in a fine waxy bloom, giving a pale blue-grey or silvery look.“The leaf surface is glaucous on the underside, with an apex that is unequally bilobed.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Betta Thengu itself; the rest are typical of the Arecaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded“The tree produces cream-colored unisexual flowers, where male and female flowers will be on different inflorescences.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Betta Thengu itself; the rest are typical of the Arecaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- ஆலம்பனை alampanai, காட்டுதேங்காய் kattuthengai
- Kannada
- ಬೆಟ್ಟ ತೆಂಗು betta thengu, ಕಾಡು ಈಚಲು kaadu eechalu, ಕಾಡು ತೆಂಗು kaadu thengu
- Malayalam
- അലട്ടിത്തേങ്ങ alattiltenna, കാരംപനൈ karampanai, കാട്ടുതേങ്ങ് kattuthengu, Kattuteng
- Marathi
- धूडसाल dhudsal
About Betta Thengu
A member of the Arecaceae family, Wight's Sago Palm (Arenga wightii) is a clustering palm. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Kerala, Goa and 1 other states. It grows in evergreen forests at elevations 400-800 m. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten and long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Its sap or hairs can irritate skin, so handle it with care.
In culture
It is treated as sacred and appears in worship and turns up in ritual and festival use.
Arecaceae
Palm family
Betta Thengu belongs to the Arecaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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