Family: cycads
Gender: Cycas
Species: revolution
Common names: king sago palm, sago palm
General description: The sago palm is one of the most widely available and inexpensive sources of food starch in the world. An international conference recently suggested the possibility of sago as an option for world consumption as food supplies dwindle. It is very slow growing; The young plant is two to three feet tall and, outside of its native home, can be found in the ground or in a pot on a patio. Because it needs sun, it does not grow well away from a window inside a building. In the tropics, the sago palm is found in lowland forests and freshwater swamps. It is versatile and can grow in a variety of soils.
Due to the popularity of the sago palm in the last half century, this feather-leaved palm is found from coastlines to landscapes around the world. It is over 300 years old and can grow up to 10-12 feet tall with umbrella worthy crowns.
To lease: The sago palm is native to the tropics from Madagascar in the Indian Ocean to Japan.
Applications: Sago is a starch ground into a powder. The trunk splits open after cutting down the tree; the pith is crushed and kneaded, which releases the starch. The material is then washed and strained to extract the starch, which is placed in a container for local use or export. The sago palm is an important staple food for New Guinea and the Moluccas. It is often cooked and pressed into a pancake and served with fish. Sago looks like tapioca; each resembles pearly grains of starch, but they come from different sources. Tapioca is made from the root of the cassava plant, and sago starch comes from the palm.
Sago palms have sturdy, erect trunks that widen as the plant matures. The diameter can be as large as two feet and sometimes wider. Some very old Sagos show twenty feet of trunk.
Sago usually grow cones during the spring or summer. Usually a new set of leaves appears at the same time. The seeds also develop slowly. Suckers often grow from the base, and several stems clump together after a while.
Disclaimer: The statements contained in this document have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Any reference to medicinal use is not intended to treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.