macarthur palm fruit uses?

Ptychosperma macarthurii – The Macarthur Palm is a clustering palm, forming large, narrow clumps of slender stems. It is native to New Guinea and adjacent northern Australia. The small, red fruits are decorative but even birds and animals ignore them. I can not find anything that says they are or are not edible so then I go back to the birds and animals pretty much leaving them alone.

EDIT:

More on the toxity and dangers of the MacArthur Palm.

Australian/New Zealand Weed Risk Assessment adapted for Hawaii.

Research directed by C. Daehler (UH Botany) with funding from the Kaulunani Urban Forestry Program and US Forest Service. According to this study the MacArthur Palm IS NOT TOXIC TO ANIMALS.

The above study is contradictory to a study done by John McLaughlin of Dade county Florida whose only cited source is a Jeffrey Bernstein MD, Medical Director Florida Poison Information Center Miami Office. McLaughlin includes the logos for Miami-Dade County and the University of Florida but does not cite them as a source other then Jeffrey Bernstein MD, Medical Director Florida Poison Information Center Miami Office.

In John McLaughlin article he writes: Other landscape palms with fruit containing high concentrations of oxalate include buccaneer palm (Pseudophoenix sargentii), Macarthur palm (Ptychosperma macarthurii), royal palm (Roystonea regia), hurricane palm (Dictyospermum album), spindle palm (Hyophorbe verschaffeltii) and several Chamadorea spp. If you collect fruit from these palms for propagation wear long rubber gloves when cleaning flesh from the seeds.

http://www.hear.org/pier/wra/pacific/ptychosperma_...

http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/pdfs/urban_hort/Cal...

Although one report says the fruit is not toxic and that part of the dispersal system is animals specifically birds, I have not seen birds eating the fruit and I still would not trust it not to be toxic.

Macarthur Palm

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RE:

macarthur palm fruit uses?

what are the uses of macarthur palm fruit? Is it even edible?

The fruit is toxic if eaten. In fact the entire palm is poisonous and can cause you to itch like crazy if any gets on you. The palm is valuable though. After the fruit turns to black on the stem, you can plant 5 to 8 seeds per pot about an inch deep with a well draining soil. It takes a few months to sprout and a full year to become sellable. Again, wear gloves when handling this palm.

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