Cyrtostachys renda Blume.
ചുവന്ന പന
Family : ARECACEAE/PALMAE
Synonym : Bentinckia renda (Blume) Mart.
Common Names : Chuvanna pana, Lipstick palm, Red palm, Sealing wax palm
Flowering Period : Throughout the year
Distribution : Native of Indonesia
Habitat : Grown as ornamental palm
Uses : Ornamental, the hard outer wood of the stem is used to make darts.
Key Characters :
A clumping palm, up to 12 m tall, with characteristically bright red
leaf sheaths around the stems.. Leaves have bright red stalks and mid-ribs and
are pinnate and alternately-arranged. Each leaf consists of leaflets that are
boat-shaped, slightly grey on the underside and about 45 cm long and 4 cm wide.
Crown shaft is distinctively red in colour. Its branched flowering shoot is
first green before turning to red, with two large spathes (modified leaves).
Flowers are pollinated by bees. Its tiny one-seeded fruits are ellipsoidal in
shape.