Salacca

[Gileno Machado]

2 m tall S. zalacca clump, less than 4 years old from seed, one of my favorite palms:

[Gileno Machado]

I can't wait to taste the fruit:

[Gileno Machado]

New leaf, another clump:

[Gileno Machado]

Another species, not so fast growing: Salacca wallichiana:

[realarch]

Gileno, that's beautiful. Looks like it's full sun or is it partially shaded?

[Gileno Machado]

Full blazing sun, Tim. Thanks.

[realarch]

Hmmm, I have just the spot for a few of them.

Tim

[aussiearoids]

Salacca dransfieldiana at Flecker ,, nice clump .

And spines on my little clump , ouch !

Edited September 3, 2008 by aussiearoids

[Eric in Orlando]

Here are the ones we are growing at Leu Gardens;

S. wallichiana

S. zalacca

S. magnifica

[Really full garden]

Gileno, is your Salacca planted at your beach house? I have always wanted to try one but was afraid it might not tolerate my conditions.It looks like yours is growing in sand.It is a beautiful palm.

[Gileno Machado]

Scott,

Yes these palms are growing at the beach house, but thet are not exposed to direct winds in the backyard. I had to dig big holes and replace the sandy soil with lots of organic stuff, some humus and clay too. They love a daily shower. I've planted one of them near the wall, in deep coconut shade, and it grows fast there as well but doesn't seem to produce as many suckers as the sisters in the open. I've never tasted the fruit before but I've heard they are sweet in Bali, tasting maybe like Lichees(?). Help me Paulito Pohonkelapa...

Here's another incredible Salacca I've seen in Rio at the Hermínio's palm collection: S. magnifica (That small one at Leu looks neat too, Eric...): Where can I get some magnifica seeds?

[Jeff Searle]

Eric,

It's great to see your having great sucess up that far north with those species.

I have a very large S. wallichiana planted at the nursery and a S. magnifica at my house. I love the entire leaves on some of them.

Jeff

[waykoolplantz]

this is mine...4 to 5m...full sun

[ariscott]

I can't wait till mine get to a decent size!!! I have 5 Salacca zalacca in the ground, 2 Salacca magnifica still in pots, and 1 Salacca dransfieldiana (spelling?). How big was the one at Flecker, Michael. I have been told they don't get as big as the rest... but still not sure where I am going to put it.

Regards, Ari

[ariscott]

I've never tasted the fruit before but I've heard they are sweet in Bali, tasting maybe like Lichees(?). Help me Paulito Pohonkelapa...

Gileno,

Salak is nothing like you ever tasted. It definitely doesn't taste like lichees. It has the consistency of apple without the juiciness (is that a word? ), and it is astringent with sweetness to it. It has very unique taste like no other. And you have to get a good ripe one, otherwise you will have horrible tart after taste on your tongue. Although, don't eat too much at once, it has undesirable side effect .

Regards, Ari

[aussiearoids]

Ari , the Flecker dransfieldiana is approx 2m high.

[Eric in Orlando]

Eric,

It's great to see your having great sucess up that far north with those species.

I have a very large S. wallichiana planted at the nursery and a S. magnifica at my house. I love the entire leaves on some of them.

Jeff

The S. wallichiana was planted June 2001 and has never shown cold damage. Its been down to 27F but it is under tree canopy so it was a few degrees warmer. But it was cold enought that some nearby Attalea and an Arenga pinnata had some foliar burn.

The S. magnifica was planted June 2006 so it has made it 2 winters. If you look closely at the photo, in the middle, there is a smaller leaf. This was the first to open after the winter. It was small and stunted but the rest have opened unblemished.

[Vasin T.]

In Indonesia, you can easily find this tasty Salak in all supermarket.

It will cost you less than USD 2 per kilo.

[Vasin T.]

Like Ari's said, its taste like apple, sweet & crispy.

But if you would love to fruit your own, more than one plant have to be, because male and female plants are separated.

Cheers,

Vasin T.

[ariscott]

Vasin,

Is it the season there at the moment? What else is in season? I can't wait to taste the tropical fruit... 1.5 weeks before my holiday... Yay!!

Regards, Ari

[Vasin T.]

Hi Ari,

For S. edulis, it will fruit all year round in Indonesia, but not this S. magnifica.

Selamat Datang

Vasin T.

[ariscott]

Vasin,

I don't really like those supermarket ones... . They can be a bit average... I have 2 salaca magnifica in the shadehouse... can't wait for it to be big enough to plant. I hope I would be lucky and have one male and one female... I never actually tasted S. magnifica... I just like the palms

Regards, Ari

Edited September 10, 2008 by ariscott

[Gileno Machado]

Thanks for the pictures and information, folks.

Vasin,

Welcome to the board and please keep your great photos coming. Are you located in Indonesia? What island?

Salacca is still unknown in Brazil. Being so common in Indonesia and other SE Asian countries, It is surprising that the seeds are so rarely available for sale at the main seed suppliers. I bought 10 S. zalacca seeds in 2004 from Trebrown UK and soon I had 9 vigorous sprouts growing up so fast like no other palm I've had before. I've given a couple seedlings to other friend collectors here and planted 5 of them in the ground of my backyard, hoping to have both male and female plants for future fruit and seed production. Besides being fast growers and prolific clumpers, these palms look very nice in my opinion. As for the taste, I was expecting a little more than sweet apples and I imagined it having a juicy and distinguishing tropical flavour...are you interested in trading a few seeds? Thanks.

[Vasin T.]

Hello Gileno,

I'm Thai palm-lover, but working in Mining Industry in Kalimantan (Borneo) island, Indonesia.

Salacca edulis seed here is treated as unwanted material. If you need some, let's me know.

Regards,

Vasin T.

[Gileno Machado]

Thanks a lot Vasin. I'll send you a PM.

[Al in Kona]

While I'm definitely not a fan of extremely spiny palms, there are some because of their beauty one simply "must have". The one that I felt I had to have was Salacca magnifica - see pic below.

For anyone needing or wishing for a real barrier or impenetrable hedge so to speak, wouldn't planting Salacca next to each other do the job well? I've seen spiny cactus used that way in hot dry climates so I would assume this would work well for the more humid tropical areas.

[8er-moni]

Hello @all Salacca - frieds!

I am crying, when I see the pics of your beautiful Salaccas!

I don't know how often I tried to get them bigger than 2 or 3 leaves (indoors in the wintergarten) -

afterwards they are dead.

Now I have again 2 seedlings - and I hope again

[Bags]

This is Salacca wallichiana at the exploratorium of flowers in San Francisco. I am not sure if this palm ever forms a trunk, but this one did not have one and the leaves were somewhere between 20 and 30 ft tall. I highly recomend going there if ever in S.F.

It was hard to get a decent picture of it.

[Bags]

One more pic of the whole thing.

[Carlo Morici]

Last year we planted two different accessions of Salacca zalacca in the ground at the Palmetum in Tenerife. They both did very well, one was about 6 years old, the other just 2. Now we have about a dozen more seedlings ready to go to the ground soon. I have naver tried the fruit. With all these plants I am sure we will taste some one day.

I am interested in the discussion about sun or shade. What is best? How do they occur naturally? How are they planted for commercial fruit production?

Also, I wish to know more about the different types of edible S.zalacca? What are the differences?

This is Kyle's picture of one in the Botanical Gardens in Northern Tenerife, it is quite in the shade and it is also much cooler and cloudier than here in Santa Cruz. The ones here are growing more robust as they are in amost full sun.

Carlo

[Al in Kona]

I'd like to know which species of Salacca is considered to have the best fruit? I've heard that some are much better tasting than others. Those of you that are familiar with the Salacca fruit, which species would you recommend? So far I'm only growing Salacca magnifica. Has anyone tasted the fruit on S. magnifica?