Corypha umbraculifera

Flowering talipot palm tree in the botanical garden of Deshaies in Guadeloupe.

The talipot palm ( Corypha umbraculifera ) is one of the largest palm trees with 12 to 24 m Height. Its natural habitat is on Sri Lanka as well as the Indian Malabar Coast.

Their bright green leaves reach a maximum diameter of 5 m, making them the widest of all palms. They are sitting on 4 m long petioles that are occupied at the edges with numerous spines. The trunk is covered with old leaf bases of discarded leaves.

The talipot palm flowers to 30 to 40 years and forms an up to 6 m high terminal inflorescence. It consists of millions of small, cream-colored single flowers, which develop round matt green fruits. After about twelve months the fruits are ripe and the palm dies.