Salacca

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Salacca (family Palmae) A genus of spiny palms which are usually stemless and occur as big, dense, clumped rosettes. The leaves are pinnate and large. These palms are dioecious, inflorescences bursting through the leaf sheaths, sparsely branched into stout, flexuous spikes, the flowers on them crowded. The fruits are scaly. There are 1–3 seeds embedded in pulp. S. zalacca (salac) is widely cultivated, especially in Java, for its sweet, edible fruit. There are 15 species, found from Assam to Sumatra, Malaya, Java, Borneo, and the Philippines.