Karimpana

Planted in the memory of Chittaranjan Das on the occassion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

Overview & Habitat

Borassus flabellifer, or the Palmyra palm, is native to South Asia.
The reality of this towering tree stretches far beyond botanical taxonomies.
In places where agriculture collides with climate change, the Borassus flabellifer sits quietly at the intersection of sustainability, survival, and resource exploitation.
Beneath its sunburnt fronds lies a multifaceted narrative of a tree revered for its resilience.

Borassus flabellifer stands up to 30 m tall, with a robust trunk ringed with scars from long-fallen fronds.
Its broad, fan-shaped leaves span up to 3 m, giving the tree its unmistakable silhouette.
The tree grows slowly, maturing over decades.
Once mature, it becomes a wellspring of life for those who depend on it.

Borassus flabellifer is dioecious, with separate male and female trees.
Male flowers are modest and inconspicuous, while female flowers bloom in spherical clusters.
The female flowers lead to the palmyra fruit, which is crucial for many livelihoods.

The fruit weighs up to a kilogram and contains three distinct seeds encased in fleshy, gelatinous pulp.
The pulp is sweet, refreshing, and rich in vital nutrients, essential to the diets of millions in India, Sri Lanka, and beyond.
The fruit must be harvested and consumed within days, or it rots.

Borassus flabellifer belongs to the Arecaceae family and has a complex taxonomic history.
Initially placed in the larger Borassus genus, its classification has been a subject of ongoing revision.
With common names like ice apple in India and toddy palm in Southeast Asia, the tree’s identity reflects its complex role in human societies.

For millennia, Borassus flabellifer has been used for food, drink, construction materials, and traditional medicine.
The sap is harvested for sugar and toddy, an alcoholic beverage deeply embedded in rural communities’ social fabric.
The leaves are used to make baskets, mats, and traditional manuscripts.
The timber is prized for its resistance to termites.
Entire ecosystems have been structured around the palm, sometimes at the cost of biodiversity.
The growing demand for palmyra products is contributing to environmental impact, with reports of unsustainable sap extraction.
Unsustainable harvesting practices can leave the tree unable to regenerate fully.
The palmyra palm is not just a tree, but a commodity, subject to forces of demand, greed, and environmental degradation.

The Borassus flabellifer is the official tree of Tamil Nadu and is highly respected in Tamil culture.
Known as ‘Katpaha Tharu’ (Celestial tree) in Tamil, its parts have a wide range of uses.
Panaiveriyamman, a deity associated with the palmyra palm, is linked to fertility and is also known as Taalavaasini, connecting her to all types of palms.
In Bengali culture, Borassus flabellifer captured the imagination of Rabindranath Tagore, whose nursery rhyme “Tal Gach ek Paye dariye” (Palmyra tree standing on a single leg) is popular in schools in Bangladesh and West Bengal.
In the Mahabharata, a palmyra tree serves as the chariot-banner of Bheeshma and Balarama.
The Borassus flabellifer is a symbol of Cambodia, found throughout the country and near the Angkor Wat temple.
In Indonesia, it is the symbol of South Sulawesi province.
In Myanmar, it symbolizes the dry zone (Anyar) and is called ‘pa-de-thar-pin,’ meaning the tree from which anything you wish can be taken.
The tree is also mentioned in many traditional poems and songs, including those by Thailand’s eminent bard Sunthorn Phu.

1st Floor, KSIDC Investment Zone
SDF 2, Canal Pirivu, Palakkad
Kerala - 678621 India

2B, Mayflower
Brookefields Apartments
Sastri Road, RS Puram
Coimbatore – 641002
Tamil Nadu, India

105, Aspect Towers
Business Bay, Dubai
PO Box 242982

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