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| − | {{Cleanup|date=August 2008}}<!-- article conflates Metroxylon sagu and Cycas revoluta --> | + | {{honor_header|Unknown|Unknown|Nature|South Pacific Division/Island Ed.}} |
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| + | ==1. Give the general characteristics of the palm tree referring to the following parts:== |
| − | [[Image:Sago Palm Trees ESP PNG.jpg|thumb|rigt|Sago palms in New Guinea]]
| + | ===a. Stem or trunk === |
| − | '''Sago''' is a [[starch]] extracted from the [[pith]] inside stems of the sago palm ''[[Metroxylon sagu]]''. Sago forms a major [[staple food]] for the lowland peoples of [[New Guinea]] and the [[Moluccas]] where it is called ''sagu'' and traditionally is cooked and eaten in the form of a pancake served with fish.
| + | A palm trunk are usually a straight, unbranched stem, though rarely the trunk will divide into two branches. Unlike other trees, palms add new growth to the inside of the stem. Other trees add new growth to the outside of the trunk. Thus, on a palm, the living wood is at the heart of the trunk and the old, dead wood is on the outside. In non-palms, the opposite is true. |
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| − | Sago looks like many other [[starch]]es, and both sago and [[tapioca]] are produced commercially in the form of "pearls". These two kinds of pearls are similar in appearance and may be used interchangeably in some dishes. This similarity causes some confusion in the names of dishes made with the pearls.
| + | ===b. Roots === |
| | + | Palms are monocots, belonging to the same family as grass and bamboo. As such, their roots do not gain much diameter once the plant reaches maturity. Roots of dicots, on the other hand (that is, broadleaf plants such as oaks and maples) continue to grow and get fatter as long as the plant lives. Thus, the roots of a dicot will destroy a sidewalk as it heaves up the concrete, while a palm will do no damage. |
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| − | Because sago flour made from ''Metroxylon'' is the most widely used form, this article discusses sago from ''Metroxylon'' unless otherwise specified.
| + | Palm roots are usually called "rootballs' because they form round structures. Rootballs will branch a bit but do not grow larger once the tree is mature. |
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| − | Sago palms grow very quickly, up to 1.5m of vertical stem growth per year, in the fresh water swamps and lowlands in the tropics. The stems are thick and either self supporting or grow with a somewhat climbing habit. The leaves are [[pinnate]], not [[palmate]]. The palms are harvested at the age of 7 to 15 years just before they flower. They only flower and fruit once before they die. When harvested the stems are full of the stored starch which would otherwise be used for flowering and fruiting. The trunks are cut into sections and into halves and the starch is beaten or otherwise extracted from the "heartwood", and in some traditional methods it is collected when it settles out of water. One palm yields 150 to 300kg of starch.
| + | ===c. Leaves === |
| | + | Palms have large evergreen leaves that are either palmately ('fan-leaved') or pinnately ('feather-leaved') compound and spirally arranged at the top of the stem. The leaves have a tubular sheath at the base that usually splits open on one side at maturity. |
| | + | ===d. Inflorescence or flowers=== |
| | + | The inflorescence is a panicle or spike surrounded by one or more bracts or spathes that become woody at maturity. The flowers are generally small and white, and radially symmetric. The sepals and petals usually number three each and may be distinct or joined at the base. The stamens generally number six, with filaments that may be separate, attached to each other, or attached to the pistil at the base. |
| | + | ===e. Fruits=== |
| | + | The fruit is usually a single-seeded drupe, but some genera (e.g. ''Salacca'') may contain two or more seeds in each fruit. |
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| − | In addition to its use as a food source, the leaves and [[spadix|spathe]] of the sago palm are used for construction materials, for thatching roofs, and the fibre can be made into rope.
| + | ==2. a. What happens when the crown of a palm is cut out? <br>b. What happens when the trunk of a palm is damaged? == |
| | + | New growth comes from the crown, so if the crown is out out, the tree will die. The outer layers of a palm's trunk consists of dead tissue, and as such, it will not heal (just as your fingernails and hair do not "heal"). |
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| − | ==Preparation== | + | ==3. In the Pacific islands there are several species of palm trees which are helpful to man. Name two of these and list as many ways as you can how each helps man. == |
| − | [[Image:Sago Palm being harvested for Sago production PNG.jpg|right|thumb]]
| + | ===Sago Palm=== |
| − | [[Image:Sago starch filter PNG.jpg|left|thumb]]
| + | Sago is a starch extracted from the pith inside stems of the sago palm Metroxylon sagu. Sago forms a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas where it is called sagu and traditionally is cooked and eaten in the form of a pancake served with fish. |
| − | Sago (''Metroxylon'') is made through the following steps:
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| − | #Felling the sago palm tree;
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| − | #Splitting the trunk open lengthwise;
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| − | #Removing the pith;
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| − | #Crushing and kneading the pith to release the starch;
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| − | #Washing and straining to extract the starch from the fibrous residue;
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| − | #Collection of the raw starch suspension in a settling container.
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| − | ==Nutrition==
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| − | Sago flour (''Metroxylon'') is nearly pure carbohydrate and has very little protein, vitamins, or minerals. However, as sago palms are typically found in areas unsuited for other forms of agriculture, sago cultivation is often the most ecologically appropriate form of land-use, and the nutritional deficiencies of the food can often be compensated for with other readily available foods.
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| − | One hundred grams of dry sago yields 100 calories, including an average of 94 grams of carbohydrate, 0.2 grams of protein, 0.5 grams of dietary fiber, 10mg of calcium, 1.2mg of iron, and negligible amounts of fat, carotene, thiamine, and ascorbic acid.
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| − | Sago can be stored for weeks or months, although it is generally eaten soon after it is processed.
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| − | ==Uses==
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| − | [[Image:Sago pancake PNG.JPG|right|thumb|Sago pancake]]
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| − | The sago starch is then either baked (resulting in a product analogous to bread or a pancake) or mixed with boiling water to form a kind of paste. Sago can be made into [[steaming|steam]]ed [[pudding]]s such as sago plum pudding, ground into a [[Powder (substance)|powder]] and used as a [[thickener]] for other dishes, or used as a dense [[gluten|glutinous]] [[flour]].{{Fact|date=August 2008}}<!-- gluten is a protein; sago is almost pure starch, not protein -->
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| − | The starch is also used to treat fibre to make it easier to machine. This process is called [[sizing]] and helps to bind the fibre, give it a predictable slip for running on metal, standardise the level of hydration of the fibre, and give the textile more body. Most cloth and clothing has been sized and this leaves a residue which is removed in the first wash.
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| − | In [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]], sago is used in making noodles, white bread. Globally, its principal use is in the form of pearls.
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| − | [[Image:Sago1.jpg|thumb|left|Pearl sago]]
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| − | '''Pearl sago''', a commercial product, closely resembles [[tapioca|pearl tapioca]]. Both typically are small (about 2 mm diameter) dry, opaque balls. Both may be white (if very pure) or colored naturally grey, brown or black, or artificially pink, yellow, green, etc. When soaked and cooked, both become much larger, translucent, soft and spongy. Both are widely used in [[South Asian cuisine]], in a variety of dishes, and around the world, usually in [[pudding]]s. In [[India]], pearl sago is called sabudana ("whole grain") and is used in a variety of dishes.
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| − | ==Botany== | |
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| − | Growing up to 30 meters in height, the sago palm, ''Metroxylon sagu'', is found in tropical lowland forest and freshwater swamps, and can grow in a wide variety of soils. The palm genus ''[[Metroxylon]]'' has several species. The main source of sago flour is ''[[Metroxylon sagu]]'', which is found in [[Southeast Asia]] and [[New Guinea]]; other species, including ''M. salomonense'' and ''M. amicarum'' are found in islands in Melanesia and Micronesia where it less important economically as a source of consumed sago.
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| − | ==Cycad Sago== | |
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| − | The [[Cycas revoluta|Sago Cycad]] is a slow-growing wild or [[ornamental plant]]. Its common name is "Sago Palm" or "King Sago Palm", but these are misnomers since it is a [[Cycas|cycad]] and not in fact related to [[Arecaceae|palm]]s at all.
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| − | Processed starch known as sago is made from this and other [[Cycas|cycad]] plants, and is a less frequent food source for some peoples of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. There is a large difference both biologically and dietarily between the two types of sago. Sago as a major dietary food source comes mainly from a palm in the genus ''[[Metroxylon]]''. Despite their common name, cycads are not palms (i.e. they are not members of the family [[Arecaceae]] but rather from [[Cycadaceae]], a vastly different taxonomic order: cycads, sometimes called living fossils, are [[gymnosperm]]s while palms are [[flowering plant|angiosperms]]).
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| − | Sago from the [[Cycas|cycad]] is very different, because unlike ''Metroxylon'', cycad seeds contain highly poisonous compounds. Consumption of cycad seeds has been implicated in the outbreak of [[Parkinson's Disease]]-like neurological disorder in various locations in the Pacific such as [[Guam]]. Highly toxic [[cycasin]] and [[BMAA]] compounds are found in most parts of the plant. These must be removed through extended processing before any part can be safely eaten. First, the pith made from the trunk, root, seeds is first [[grinding|ground]] to a coarse [[flour]], washed carefully to leach out natural [[toxin]]s, then dried and cooked to become a [[starch]] similar to [[tapioca]] and is used for many of the same purposes.<!-- this is an allusion to pearl sago and pearl tapioca; there are other (non-pearl) forms of both starches -->
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| | + | Sago looks like many other starches, and both sago and tapioca are produced commercially in the form of "pearls". These two kinds of pearls are similar in appearance and may be used interchangeably in some dishes. This similarity causes some confusion in the names of dishes made with the pearls. |
| | + | ===Coconut Palm=== |
| | + | ==4. Identify by sight six different types of palms which grow in your area. Do this in any language. == |
| | + | ==5. Draw and name the six palm trees you have identified showing clearly the leaf formation, flowers and seed shape as well as the fruit. == |
| | + | ==6. Parts of palms are used for food or to help with the preparation of food. From your culture tell how a palm tree or part of it is used as food or in food preparation e.g. sago palm, coconut palm. Tell how to prepare it.== |
| | ==References== | | ==References== |
| | + | * [http://palms.org/ International Palm Society] |
| | + | * http://www.sunpalmtrees.com/Palm-Tree-Care-Pruning.html |
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| − | * Flach, M. and F. Rumawas, eds. (1996). ''Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) No. 9: Plants Yielding Non-Seed Carbohydrates''. Leiden: Blackhuys.
| + | [[Category:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book|{{SUBPAGENAME}}]] |
| − | * Lie, Goan-Hong. (1980). "The Comparative Nutritional Roles of Sago and Cassava in Indonesia." In: Stanton, W.R. and M. Flach, eds., Sago: The Equatorial Swamp as a Natural Resource. The Hague, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff.
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| − | * [http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Metroxylon-sagopalm.pdf McClatchey, W., H.I. Manner, and C.R. Elevitch. (2005). ''Metroxylon amicarum'', ''M. paulcoxii'', ''M. sagu'', ''M. salomonense'', ''M. vitiense'', and ''M. warburgii'' (sago palm), ver. 1.1. In: Elevitch, C.R. (ed.) Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR), Holualoa, Hawaii.]
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| − | * Pickell, D. (2002). Between the Tides: A Fascinating Journey Among the Kamoro of New Guinea. Singapore: Periplus Press.
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| − | * Rauwerdink, Jan B. (1986). "An Essay on Metroxylon, the Sago Palm." ''Principes'' 30(4): 165-180.
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| − | * Stanton, W.R. and M. Flach, eds., Sago: The Equatorial Swamp as a Natural Resource. The Hague, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff.
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | * [http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Metroxylon-sagopalm.pdf Species profile for Metroxylon sagu]
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| − | * [http://www.mysabah.com/2005_pesta-rumbia/ Sago Festival]
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| − | * [http://www.knowingfood.com/tapioca/tapiocarecipe.html Asian Sago Dessert Recipes]
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| − | * http://www.fao.org/ag/agA/AGAP/FRG/AFRIS/Data/416.HTM
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| − | * http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/McClatchey/Publications/McClatcheyetal2004_Metroxylon.pdf
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| − | * http://www.plantapalm.com/vpe/photos/Species/metroxylon_sagu.htm
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| − | [[Category:Tropical agriculture]] | |
| − | [[Category:Staple foods]]
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| − | [[Category:Food ingredients]]
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| − | [[Category:Edible thickening agents]]
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| − | [[Category:Oceanian cuisine]]
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| − | [[Category:Indian cuisine]]
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| − | [[cs:Ságo]]
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| − | [[de:Sago]]
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| − | [[id:Sagu]]
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| − | [[la:Sagum (cibus)]]
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| − | [[ms:Sagu]]
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| − | [[nl:Sago]]
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| − | [[ja:サゴヤシ]]
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| − | [[no:Sago]]
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| − | [[pl:Sago]]
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| − | [[pt:Sagu]]
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| − | [[ru:Саго]]
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| − | [[fi:Saago]]
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| − | [[sv:Sago]]
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| − | [[tl:Sago]]
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| − | [[th:สาคู]]
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| − | [[tpi:Saksak]]
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| − | [[zh:西米]]
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Template:Honor header
1. Give the general characteristics of the palm tree referring to the following parts:
a. Stem or trunk
A palm trunk are usually a straight, unbranched stem, though rarely the trunk will divide into two branches. Unlike other trees, palms add new growth to the inside of the stem. Other trees add new growth to the outside of the trunk. Thus, on a palm, the living wood is at the heart of the trunk and the old, dead wood is on the outside. In non-palms, the opposite is true.
b. Roots
Palms are monocots, belonging to the same family as grass and bamboo. As such, their roots do not gain much diameter once the plant reaches maturity. Roots of dicots, on the other hand (that is, broadleaf plants such as oaks and maples) continue to grow and get fatter as long as the plant lives. Thus, the roots of a dicot will destroy a sidewalk as it heaves up the concrete, while a palm will do no damage.
Palm roots are usually called "rootballs' because they form round structures. Rootballs will branch a bit but do not grow larger once the tree is mature.
c. Leaves
Palms have large evergreen leaves that are either palmately ('fan-leaved') or pinnately ('feather-leaved') compound and spirally arranged at the top of the stem. The leaves have a tubular sheath at the base that usually splits open on one side at maturity.
d. Inflorescence or flowers
The inflorescence is a panicle or spike surrounded by one or more bracts or spathes that become woody at maturity. The flowers are generally small and white, and radially symmetric. The sepals and petals usually number three each and may be distinct or joined at the base. The stamens generally number six, with filaments that may be separate, attached to each other, or attached to the pistil at the base.
e. Fruits
The fruit is usually a single-seeded drupe, but some genera (e.g. Salacca) may contain two or more seeds in each fruit.
2. a. What happens when the crown of a palm is cut out?
b. What happens when the trunk of a palm is damaged?
New growth comes from the crown, so if the crown is out out, the tree will die. The outer layers of a palm's trunk consists of dead tissue, and as such, it will not heal (just as your fingernails and hair do not "heal").
3. In the Pacific islands there are several species of palm trees which are helpful to man. Name two of these and list as many ways as you can how each helps man.
Sago Palm
Sago is a starch extracted from the pith inside stems of the sago palm Metroxylon sagu. Sago forms a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas where it is called sagu and traditionally is cooked and eaten in the form of a pancake served with fish.
Sago looks like many other starches, and both sago and tapioca are produced commercially in the form of "pearls". These two kinds of pearls are similar in appearance and may be used interchangeably in some dishes. This similarity causes some confusion in the names of dishes made with the pearls.
Coconut Palm
4. Identify by sight six different types of palms which grow in your area. Do this in any language.
5. Draw and name the six palm trees you have identified showing clearly the leaf formation, flowers and seed shape as well as the fruit.
6. Parts of palms are used for food or to help with the preparation of food. From your culture tell how a palm tree or part of it is used as food or in food preparation e.g. sago palm, coconut palm. Tell how to prepare it.
References
