Metroxylon

Metroxylon is a genus of pinnate-leaved palms native to the Indo-Malayan region. These palms are monocarpic, meaning they flower and fruit only once before dying. The most well-known species is Metroxylon sagu, the primary source of commercially produced sago starch.12

Sago is a carbohydrate-rich starch extracted from the pith of the palm's trunk. The plant matures in about 15 years, and its stem becomes engorged with starch before it flowers. Cultivated palms are harvested when the flower spike appears, and the pith is processed to extract the starch, which is then washed and prepared as meal or granulated into pearl or bullet sago. Sago is a staple food in the southwest Pacific and is used as a thickener in cooking and as a textile stiffener.3