Summary:
Taan (Palmyra Palm, Lontar Plam, Pan Palm, Brab Palm)
Scientific Name:Borassus flabellifer Linn.
Family :PALMAE
Other Names:Tanntanoad, Taanyai (The Central Part) Taang (Chiangmai-Karen-Taak) Toowthoo (Karen-Mae Hongsorn) Taan (Shan-Mae Hongsorn) Noad (The Southern Part ) Tanaaw (Khmer)
Botanical features:
Trunk A perennial tree is about 30 metres high. The trunk which is long and tapering does not produce any branch. The husk contains hard splinters.
Leaves...
Taan (Palmyra Palm, Lontar Plam, Pan Palm, Brab Palm)
Scientific Name:Borassus flabellifer Linn.
Family :PALMAE
Other Names:Tanntanoad, Taanyai (The Central Part) Taang (Chiangmai-Karen-Taak) Toowthoo (Karen-Mae Hongsorn) Taan (Shan-Mae Hongsorn) Noad (The Southern Part ) Tanaaw (Khmer)
Botanical features:
Trunk A perennial tree is about 30 metres high. The trunk which is long and tapering does not produce any branch. The husk contains hard splinters.
Leaves A Taan leaf has a single, fan-like form. Leaves grow abundantly at the crown of the stem; each leaf is like a long sword of about 140 cm. The end of the leaf is divided into 2 jags; two edges of the leaf contain small scales. The midrib of the leaf is a thick, hard coir with thorny, pointed, and dark edges.
Blossoms Blossoms are in a branching out, big cluster. Small blossoms are separated in gender growing on different trunks of the Taan tree. The male blossoms have along, cylinder form in green color which turns brown when fully ripe. The blossoms of the Taan palm are called "Jaan", which produces sugar.
Fruit The fruits of the Taan palm grow as a bunch/cluster. They are dark at the bottom when fully ripe, and yellow at thehead. The Taan fruits give sweet smell.
Usage:
As foodsYoung blossoms male or female, are ingredients of curries. "Jaan" in used to make sugar: Namtaan Poek, sugar boiled down in pack, and Namtaan Peep, sugar boiled down and put into a quadrilateral container.
Food value Young Taan fruits have phosphorus, calcium, a small quantity of Vitamin C, and others. "Jaaw Taan" (an edible part growing inside the Taan fruit )contains high phosphorus, Vitamin C and others. Nuang Taan (the spadix of the Taan palm) which consists of various kinds of sugar is used to make Namtaan Tanoad (sugar made from Taan syrup).
As medicine The roots of the Taan palm are used to cure internal fever and relieve thirst, as well as to be remedises for tonsil inflammation, for nourishing body's health and getting rid of parasitic worms. The leaves are used to improve mental health after birth delivery, powdered leaves, taken through smoking of blowing, help decrease high blood pressure. The Taan spadix is used to cure Taan sang (a kind of children's disease), and get rid of parasitic worms fresh coir or midrib, made hot by fire and extracted for water, is a medicine for diarrhea and mouth disease.
Minor fruits names
1. Aegle marmelos Correa.
2. Anacardium occidentale Linn. (Cashew-apple).
3. Annona reticulata Linn.
4. Artocarpus lakoocha Buch. (Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb.).
5. Averrhoa carambola Linn.
6. Borassus flabellifer Linn.
7. Carissa carandas Linn.
8. Chrysophyllum cainito Linn.
9. Dillenia indica Linn. (Dillenia speciosa Thunb.)
10. Euphoria longan (Lour.) Steud (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) [Nephelium longana (Lamk.) Camb.] (Euphoria longana Lamk.).
11. Flacourtia indica (Burm. f.) Merr. (Gmelina indica Burm. f.) (Flacourtia ramontchi L'Herit) (Flacourtia sepiara Roxb.).
12. Grewia subinaequalis DC. (Grewia asiatica Masters).
13. Limonia acidissima Linn. [Feronia limonia (L.) Swingle] (Feronia elepehantum Correa).
14. Malpighia glabra Linn. and Malpighia punicifolia Linn.
15. Monstera deliciosa Liebm. (Monstera lennea Koch.).
16. Phoenix sylvestris (Linn.) Roxb. (Elate sylvestris Linn.).
17. Phyllanthus acidus Skeels (Averrhoa acida Linn.) (Cicca disticha Linn.).
18. Phyllanthus emblica Linn. (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.).
19. Physalis peruviana Linn. (Physalis edulis Sims.).
20. Psidium cattleianum Sabine (Psidium littorale Raddi).
21. Spondias cytherea Sonner. (Spondias dulcis Sol. ex Forst. f.) and Spondias pinnata (L.f.) Kurz. (Spondias mangifera Willd.) (Spondias acuminata Roxb.) (Mangifera pinnata L.f.).
22. Syzygium cumini (Linn.) Skeels (Myrtus cumini Linn.) (Eugenia jambolana Lamk.).
23. Syzygium jambos (Linn.) Alston (Eugenia jambos Linn.).
24. Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merrill & Perry (Eugenia javanica Lamk.) (Myrtus samarangensis BI.).
25. Syzygium uniflora Linn. 26. Trapa natans Linn. var. bispinosa (Roxb.) Makino (Trapa bispinosa Roxb.) and Trapa natas Linn. var. quadrispinosa (Roxb.) Makino (Trapa quadrispinosa Roxb.) Literatrure cited.