A book should be written about the Nipa palm. By way of palms, it is unique, and placed in a subfamily of it’s own. Although it is not instantly obviously, subterraneanly the Nipa palm exhibits dichotomous branching – itself a rare phenomena in palms, and perhaps indicative of the Nipa’s primitive state. And mind you, Nipa fossils has been found as far down as Tasmania! Tasmania was tropical once!
Nipa is also among the few palms, if not the only one of the grand palm lineage that has made it into the mangrove environment, rubbing shoulders with the likes of the great mangrove family (Rhizophoraceae).
The fruits of the Nipa palm are uniquely arranged in a tight head and breaks off to be dispersed to distant shores by the sea. The inner fleshy part of the fruit is also edible, after the husk has been removed of course.
More is to be said of the Nipa, and we shall wait for the inspiration offer by more photos of the marvellous fruits!
Leaf Whispering in the Tropics 