Southern Asia is a vast and ecologically diverse region that extends from the deserts of Afghanistan to the rainforests of Thailand, and is home to a marvelously rich palm flora. Palms of Southern Asia is the only complete field guide to the 43 genera and 352 species of palms and rattans that occur in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. This attractive guide's handsome illustrations and succinct, authoritative, and jargon-free text make identification easy. Each species account includes the correct scientific and common names, and fully describes morphology, habitat, and uses. Featuring a distribution map for most species and 256 full-color photographs, this is also the only field guide to cover the extremely diverse palm flora of Vietnam, and the first to offer a taxonomic overview of the rattan species of Southern Asia. Palms of Southern Asia is a book of major importance for botanists and an invaluable aid for naturalists and conservationists, and it's the perfect field guide for ecotourists traveling in the region.

FOREWORD, by John Dransfield 8ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 9


INTRODUCTION 11
Palm Regions in Southern Asia 11
Layout of the Book 17
Classification of Southern Asian Palms 20
Morphology of Palms 20
Key to the Genera of Palms in Southern Asia 25


THE PALMS OF SOUTHERN ASIA 29
1. Areca 29
2. Arenga 31
3. Bentinckia 36
4. Borassodendron 37
5. Borassus 37
6. Calamus 38
7. Caryota 92
8. Ceratolobus 96
9. Chuniophoenix 97
10. Clinostigma 98
11. Cocos 98
12. Corypha 99
13. Cyrtostachys 101
14. Daemonorops 101
15. Eleiodoxa 109
16. Eugeissona 110
17. Guihaia 111
18. Hyphaene 112
19. Iguanura 112
20. Johannesteijsmannia 115
21. Kerriodoxa 115
22. Korthalsia 116
23. Licuala 119
24. Livistona 131
25. Loxococcus 133
26. Maxburretia 134
27. Myrialepis 135
28. Nannorrhops 135
29. Nenga 136
30. Nypa 137
31. Oncosperma 138
32. Orania 139
33. Phoenix 1
34. Pholidocarpus 143
35. Pinanga 144
36. Plectocomia 155
37. Plectocomiopsis 158
38. Rhapis 159
39. Rhopaloblaste 163
40. Salacca 163
41. Satakentia 165
42. Trachycarpus 166
43. Wallichia 169


APPENDIX: Checklist of Species by Country or Region 175
REFERENCES 183
INDEX OF COMMON NAMES 187
INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES 191