nipa palm

plant

Also known as: Nypa fruticans

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Last updated

June 17, 2026

Quick Summary

The nipa palm (Nipa fruticans) is a type of palm tree native to Southeast Asia. It is characterized by a short, underground trunk and large, erect leaves. This palm primarily grows along rivers and in brackish estuaries.1

The nipa palm is economically important as a source for sugar and alcohol, which can be obtained by tapping its flower stalks. It also plays a role in its ecosystem, with its fruits being dispersed by various animals.23

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palm
Evolution
…ago, pollen supposedly representative of Nypa fruticans and Acrocomia is present. These records place palms among the earliest recognizable modern families of flowering plants. By the beginning of the Eocene Epoch, nearly 56 million years ago, palms were widespread and abundant. A diversity of genera, including Phoenix, Sabal, Serenoa, Livistona
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…ago, pollen supposedly representative of Nypa fruticans and Acrocomia is present. These records place palms among the earliest recognizable modern families of flowering plants. By the beginning of the Eocene Epoch, nearly 56 million years ago, palms were widespread and abundant. A diversity of genera, including Phoenix, Sabal, Serenoa, Livistona
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palm
Distribution
In the eastern tropics, Nypa fruticans may form dense colonies on estuarine muds; these pure stands of nipa palm (Nypa) extend for hundreds of hectares in eastern Sumatra and parts of Borneo. In other situations, dicotyledonous mangrove species occur with the nipa palm. The genus Manicaria (bussu palm) occupies…
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In the eastern tropics, Nypa fruticans may form dense colonies on estuarine muds; these pure stands of nipa palm (Nypa) extend for hundreds of hectares in eastern Sumatra and parts of Borneo. In other situations, dicotyledonous mangrove species occur with the nipa palm. The genus Manicaria (bussu palm) occupies…
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palm
Flowers
(Areca triandra, Geonoma triandra, Nypa fruticans) or more numerous, ranging from 6 to 36 in Heterospathe, to more than 200 in such groups as Caryota, Phytelephas, and Veitchia. Sterile stamens may differ only slightly from fertile stamens, or they may consist of a filament alone without an anther, or…
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(Areca triandra, Geonoma triandra, Nypa fruticans) or more numerous, ranging from 6 to 36 in Heterospathe, to more than 200 in such groups as Caryota, Phytelephas, and Veitchia. Sterile stamens may differ only slightly from fertile stamens, or they may consist of a filament alone without an anther, or…
Read More