sago palm, sagu, sak sak

Description:

Metroxylon sagu is the true sago palm "not to be confused with the sago cycad which is also commonly and confusingly known as 'sago palm' (although this is a misnomer as cycads are not palms)."--Wikipedia. It is native to the Moluccas, New Guinea island, Peninsular Malaysia and northern Borneo, and maybe the Philippines (possibly introduced there). Sago is an important staple starch crop throughout the lowlands of New Guinea and elsewhere.

Habitat:

These palms are growing in a heavily disturbed narrow coastal band of mixed freshwater swamp forest/sago swamp, just behind ocean beach.

Notes:

Undisturbed sago swamp is a often a thick and unruly monoculture of large clumps, with trees of all sizes. Palms mature at about 15 years of age and are harvested when the starch content is highest, just before the palms flower.