Friday, July 11, 2014

Rendang is the perfect arch


Fruiting head have male and female flowers, but its the female flowers that bear the fruits.
The male inflorescence is a cluster of furry, simple spikes which resembles a hand.
 The oil palm tree is a tough plant that can live for more than 100 years.  The species Elaeis guineensis is the one planted here. This species is also called African Oil Palm.  Besides having a long life it is also the most productive oil crop in the world.  Here it is expected to give an economic life of about 20 -25 years.  The Malays have a good word to describe the health of the oil palm tree.  The conditions of the leaf especially the bottom most ones  must look graceful, curved in a semi-circular arch by the weight of the combined leaflets which is best described by the Malay word - " Rendang".  It is partly due to this Rendang arch that the oil palm tree can be made into an ornamental plant provided it is well-maintained, of robust growth, with a crown of shiny, green fronds or leaves.  The Rendang look also symbolizes gateway or protection  and for thousands of small holders in Bintulu the oil palm is thus a passport to prosperity.  Depending on the size and age of the holdings, this  'green gold' can be harvested on daily or weekly basis.  The demand will keep on increasing with unstoppable growth of world population because the minimum a breadwinner needs to keep his or her family happy and alive is cooked vegetables or fish on the dinner table.  The cheapest commercially available cooking oil in the world now is the palm oil.
Lines of graceful curves

Oil palms thrive exceeding well in the Bintulu for its tropical climate.  Epiphytes such as erns and orchids grow on them.

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