Salacca zalacca aka Salak

Salacca zalacca is an evergreen palm called salak or snake palm. It belongs to the palm family, Arecaceae. Its native range runs from southern Sumatra to southwestern Java. It grows in wet tropical forests with rich soil. Wild plants form dense thickets beside streams and in swampy ground. Growers raise it for fruit in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

This palm forms tight clumps from a creeping rootstock. Its short stem stays below ground rather than forming a tall trunk. Garden records give a height and spread of 13 feet [4 metres]. Other accounts describe upright leaves reaching 20 feet [6 metres]. Each long leaf has a stalk with many sharp spines. The leaflets have pale undersides. The plant grows fast, according to Plants For A Future. Its spines pose a risk when handling leaves or fruit.

Plants start to flower three to four years after sowing. Insects pollinate the flowers. Fruit grows in bunches near the base of the palm. Each fruit has brown to reddish-brown skin with small scales. The egg-shaped fruits measure about 0.2–0.26 feet [0.06–0.08 metres] across. Ripe flesh is firm and crisp, with sweet and tart notes. Unripe flesh tastes sour and astringent. People eat ripe fruit fresh or turn it into sweets. They also pickle it and add unripe fruit to spicy salads. The seeds are edible too.

Salak needs warmth, shelter and steady moisture through most of the year. It grows best with daytime temperatures of 22–30°C. Give it deep, fertile soil that drains well. Sandy or loamy soil suits it, with an acidic pH preferred. Its shallow roots need regular rain or irrigation. Despite its wet habitat, it cannot cope with flooding. Young palms need dense shade during their first year. Older plants can take less shade. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 10–12 for this species.

Close rows can form a dense, spiny hedge. People also cut the leaves to make fences. They use the leaflets for roof thatch. The outer tissue of leaf stalks provides material for mats. The palm also has a place in food forests. Plants For A Future reports no known medicinal uses. Its account does not flag it as a weed. The supplied sources name no specific pests or diseases. They do not establish whether all plant parts are harmless.