4
Review
The Promises and Potentials of Nypa fruticans Wurmb (nipa)
Richard F. Clemente1,2,3
1 Science Department, College of Science, 2 Research and Development Center,
3 The Graduate School, Bulacan State University, City of Malolos, Bulacan
[email protected]
Introduction
Nipa is said to be the mangrove counterpart of coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.). It is the only palm considered a mangrove in the mangrove biome (Tropical Plant Book, 2011).However, is not a mangrove in the strict sense, as it does not exploit truly littoral environments nor can it tolerate inundation with undiluted sea-water for extended periods (Dowe and Tucker, 1993). In other situations, eudicotyledonous mangrove species occur with this plant. This palm gives man various products which are essential to his everyday living (Quimbo, 1991). The nipa palm grows abundantly along tidal streams, in brackish swamps and muddy riverbanks throughout Southeast Asia - in the Philippines, Ryukyu Islands, Japan and southward to north Queensland, Australia and in favorable habitats it is gregarious over large areas. It occurs also in India, through Malay Peninsula and was introduced in Nigeria to curb coastal erosion (Tamunaidu and Saka, 2011).
Systematics
This monocot species is a monotypic taxon, the only one in the genus Nypa (Tropical Plant Book, 2011). Genus Nypa is resolved as sister to the remaining members of the palm family (Palmae/Arecaceae) in a cladistic analysis of plastid DNA restriction site data (Asmussen and Chase, 2001). It is one of the most ancient angiosperms and probably the oldest species of palm (IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, 2011).
Accepted scientific name: Nypa fruticans Wurmb
Synonyms: Cocos nypa Lour., Nipa fruticans (Wurmb) Thunb., Nipa litoralis Blanco, Nipa arborescens Wurmb ex H. Wendl., Nypa fruticans var. neameana
Common/local/vernacular names: anipa (Ibn.); lasá (Tag.); nipa (S.-Fil.); pauid (Tag.); pinóg (It.); pinok (Ibn.); sagá (Sbl.); sasá (Pamp., Tag.); tatá (Ibn.); nipa palm, mangrove palm (Engl.)
In nearby countries it is known as the attap (Singapore), buah atap (Indonesia), buah nipah (Malaysia), dừa nước (Vietnam), ging pol in Sinhala in Sri Lanka, gol pata (Bangladesh) and dani (Burma) (Tropical Plant Book, 2011).
Botanical Description
Roots
The rootstock is stout and subterranean.
Stems
It is trunkless.
Leaves
The leaves are at the ends of the rootstocks, 5 to 10 meters long, with stout petioles.The leaflets are numerous, rigid, lanceolate, up to 1 meter long, 2 to 7 centimeters wide (Quisumbing, 1978). The early leaves produced by the seedling are leafsheaths without lamina (scale leaves).
Flowers
The male inflorescence is brown, erect, up to 1 meter in height. The female inflorescence is stout, 1 meter high or less (Quisumbing, 1978). It has 5 to 7 scale leaves before the first foliage leaf appears. Nipa is monoecious. Unisexual branching flowers laterally attached show multibracteate male flowers around a capitates (for a head) female flower which is slightly elevated. Nipa begins to flower in 4 years. The ovary with 1 ovule has a stout stigma. The flowers ripen in 4 months (indicated by the spathes which turn red). Pollination is carried out by a variety of insects and wind, although drosophilid flies are probably particularly important. Fertilized flowers develop into fibrous, chestnut-brown fruit and form a large spherical infructescence upon maturation (IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, 2011).
Fruit
The fruit is globose, nodding, up to 30 centimeters in diameter (Quisumbing, 1978). The fruiting heads on top of an erect stalk consist of compact, dry fibrous fruits with husks, 12 by 10 cm, ribbed or unevenly compressed to angular. All palm fruits are fairly large, 1-seeded (drupe) and do not dehisce.
Seed
The seeds are hard, white and as large as a hen's egg (Quisumbing, 1978). Reproduction is from seeds and by the branching of the rhizomes. The seeds of the nipa palm like the coconut are conveyed and dispersed by water.
Biology
Rasco (2010) made an extensive research on the biology of nipa. In his study, based on the count of leaf scars on the underground stem of plants with known planting date, it is estimated that nipa produces 1 leaf every 2 months. Dichotomous branches are formed every 26-50 months depending on environmental conditions and sister plants branch synchronously. There is a peak when a higher proportion of plants flower – which falls in the months of May and June. Acoording to him also, based on the observation of three infructescences, the main stalk has 5 lateral branches bearing the staminate flowers and ends in a pistillate head. The lateral branches starting from the bottom have a decreasing number of secondary branches: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (unbranched), respectively. The male flowers open sequentially from the top (nearest to the pistillate head) to the bottom. The bottom (and more numerous) male flowers open much later than fruit set, indicating a cross-pollinating habit. He mentioned that the estimates of sap yield were much lower than the ones reported in literature.
Phytochemical Components
Flavonoids and amino acids are not detected in nipa leaves (Nyananyo et al., 2010). Nipa consisting of frond (large divided leaf), shell, and husk were chemically characterized for cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, starch, protein, extractives and inorganic constituents by Tamunaidu and Saka (2011). The total chemical composition showed that the cellulose and hemicellulose contents were in the range of 28.9 to 45.6 wt% and 21.8 to 26.4 wt%, respectively. The hemicellulose was rich with glucuronoxylan. The lignin content was 19.4 to 33.8 wt% with the highest lignin content found in the leaf. The alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation products showed that nipa palm lignin mainly consists of guaiacyl and syringyl propane units with a small amount of p-hydroxyphenylpropane unit. Starch, protein and extractives were also present in a significant amount from 2 to 8 wt%. The ash content as an inorganic constituent was high from 5.1 to 11.7 wt%, consisting of major inorganic elements of Na, K and Cl along with minor inorganic elements of Mg, Ca, Si, P, S and Al.
Uses
The long, feathery leaves of the nipa palm are used by local populations in South and Southeast Asian countries as roof material for thatched houses or dwellings. The leaves are also used in many types of basketry, making bags, mats, hats and raincoats. The leaflets are used as wrappers of suman and the midribs for making coarse brooms; and the petioles for fuel, etc. (Quisumbing, 1978). The young leaves are used to wrap tobacco for smoking. Young shoots are also edible and the flower petals can be infused to make an aromatic tisane (herbal tea). The inflorescence can be tapped before it blooms to yield a sweet, edible sap collected to produce a local alcoholic beverage called tuba. Tuba is also stored in tapayan (balloon vases) for several weeks to make vinegar in our country, commonly known as sukang Paombong (pure vinegar made from Paombong, Bulacan). Nipa sap obtained from the flower stalk is fermented also into wine, and industrial alcohol (Center of Excellence for Medicinal Plants in Sri Lanka, 2006). The sap is also used for fattening livestock. Dry leaves, petiole, stem wood, fruit residues etc. are used as fuel (IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, 2011). Most coastal farmers depend on nipa sap production for their income (Quimbo, 1991). Farmers also report that nipa in the river or sea attracts deep-water fish. The rhizomes of the palm are extensively used in fishing, facilitating the fishing net to float over the water surface (IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, 2011).
Nipa is also a source of sugar. Attap chee (chee meaning "seed" in several Chinese dialects) is a name used for the immature fruit - sweet, translucent, gelatinous balls used as a dessert ingredient in countries, Malaysia and Singapore. On the islands of Roti and Savu in Indonesia, nipa sap is fed to pigs during the dry season. This is said to impart a sweet flavor to the pig's meat (Center of Excellence for Medicinal Plants in Sri Lanka, 2006). Young nipa fruits can be eaten raw or processed into sweet preserves (Quimbo, 1991).
According to Dr. Pardo de Tavera (1892), the decoction of fresh leaves is used as a lotion for indolent ulcers. In Malaya (the Malay Peninsula), the juice of the young shoots, with coconut milk, is given as a drink for treating herpes. The ash of the roots and leaves is used in Borneo in applications for toothache and headache. In old reports, J. F. Cauis (1935) accounted that the fresh leaves are much used in the treatment of ulcers in the form of cataplasm or lotion. The alcohol from the toddy (drawn sap) diluted with water is used as eyewash in inflammation of the eyelids and of the conjunctiva (Quisumbing, 1978). Newly developed shoots are reported to be used as a vermicide (IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, 2011). Researchers at the Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative, in Dhaka, Bangladesh have discovered a potentially valuable health breakthrough about this mangrove palm. The researchers found that nipa showed significant anti-hyperglycemic activity on glucose-loaded mice at every dose and determined that this palm also demonstrated significant pain-relieving activity (Marchione, 2011).
Conclusion and Recommendation
The nipa palm is one of the most important of the Philippine crops, economically speaking according to Quisumbing (1978). Tamunaidu and Saka (2011) made mentioned that the widespread occurrence of nipa palms made rural communities to grow these palms in agriculture fields for limited use, e.g. sap to make toddy, vinegar or boiled down to sugar and fruits as local dessert or made into alcoholic beverage. On the other hand, nipa palm leaves are a major source of thatching material, which is extensively used by the poorer rural population in southwest Bangladesh (Rahman, 2000) but most parts of the nipa palm are left to decompose at its habitat.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) described this plant as a non-threatened and underutilized palm in South Asia (FAO, 1998). However, it is regarded as an invading palm and gave adverse economical impact on waterways and marine lives in Nigeria (Udofia and Udo, 2005) and its government is willing to eradicate and destroy its large palm community. This is due to limited understanding and less research on the total chemical characterization and mass commercial utilization of the nipa palm (Tamunaidu and Saka 2011). Among few most recent studies: nipa fronds were used as composites for medium-density fiberboards (Kruse and Frühwald, 2001), as pulping materials (Jahan et al., 2006) and even as heavy metal adsorbents (Wankasi et al., 2005). In this regard, the results are still not well acknowledged by local communities and may be looking for other productive alternatives since nipa is always in season and frequency of harvest does not affect the overall growth of the plant. Parts of nipa are not bulk in density like the oil palm and the removal of its parts does not lead to the depletion of organic matter, as this palm grows on rich natural nutrients provided by the estuarine water (Robertson et al., 1992; Tamunaidu and Saka, 2011). Nipa is a potential source of biofuel because of its high yield of sugar-rich sap, which can be converted to alcohol upon fermentation. Various estimates show that nipa's alcohol yield based on harvests from natural stands is higher than that of cassava and sugar cane (Rasco et al., 2012).
In this view, it is recommended to reinvestigate the phytochemical constituents of nipa since literature was found limited. From these components we will able to study the other medicinal properties of this plant and develop drugs and herbal capsules. The fruit as an alternative source of sugar and the production of sweet preserves should be developed by the local communities. Potential materials and productions for construction and for other commercial purposes must be utilized. The government must take a serious look at this plant as a source of biofuel since it is abundant in the country.
Literature Cited
Asmussen, C. B., and Chase, M. W., 2001. Coding and Noncoding Plastid DNA in Palm Systematics. American Journal of Botany. 88 (6): 1103–1117.
Center of Excellence for Medicinal Plants in Sri Lanka, 2006. Available at:
http://www.agri.ruh.ac.lk/medicinalplants/medicinal_plants/families/palmae/plants/gin_pol.html
Dowe, J. and Tucker, R.1993. Palms & Cycads. 41. Available at: http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Nypa/fruticans.html
FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1998. Available at:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0451E/x0451e00.htm.
IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, 2011. Available at: http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1838&lang=EN
Jahan, M.S., Chowdhury, D.A.N, and Islam, M.K., 2006. Characterization and evaluation of golpata fronds as pulping raw materials. Bioresour. Technol. 97: 401-406.
Kruse, K., Frühwald, A., 2001. Properties of nipa and coconut fibers and production and properties of particle and MDF-boards made from nipa and coconut, in: Bundesforschungsanstalt für Forst- und Holzwirtschaft Nr. 04, Hamburg.
Marchione, Victor, 2011. Alternative Remedies, Blood Sugar, Diabetes, Food and Nutrition, Doctors Health Press. Available at: http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/diabetes-articles/an-extract-that-could-lower-blood-sugar-naturally
Nyananyo, B. L., Mensah, S. I., and Achama, C., 2010. Phytochemical Investigations of some Tropical Plants from the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria. Scientia Africana. 9 (1): 173-177.
Quimbo, L.L. Increasing nipa sap yields through improved mechanical tapping Technology. 1991. 13(4): 1-16.
Quisumbing, Eduardo, 1978. Medicinal Plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Inc. Quezon City. 136-137.
Rahman, L.M., 2000. The Sundarbans: A Unique Wilderness of the World, in: McCool, S.F., Cole, D.N., Borrie, W. T., and O'Loughlin, J. (Eds), Wilderness science in a time of change conference- Volume 2: Wilderness within the context of larger systems; 1999 May 23–27; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-2. Ogden, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Rasco, Eufemio Jr. T., 2010. Biology of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans Wurmb, Arecaceae) and its potential for alcohol production. Asia Life Sciences (The Asian International Journal of Life Sciences). 19 (2): 373-388.
Rasco, E. Jr. T., Ragas, R. G. and Junio, R. G., 2012. Morphological and sap yield variation in Nipa (Nypa fruticans Wurmb)Asia Life Sciences (The Asian International Journal of Life Sciences). 21 (1).
Robertson, A.I., Alongi, D.M., and Boto, K.G., 1992. Food chains and carbon fluxes, in: Robertson, A.I., Alongi, D.M. (Eds), Tropical mangrove ecosystems, American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C., 293-326.
Tamunaidu, P., and Saka, S., 2011.Chemical characterization of various parts of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans). Industrial Crops and Products. 34 (3): 1423–1428.
Tropical Plant Book, 2011. Available at:
http://www.tropicalplantbook.com/garden_plants/treesfruit/pages_new_2/nypa_fruticans.htm
Udofia, S. I., and Udo, E. S., 2005. Local knowledge of the utilization of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans Wurmb) in the coastal areas of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Glob. J. Agr. Sci. 4: 33-40.
Wankasi, D., Horsfall, M. J., and Spiff, A. I., 2005. Desorption of Pb2+ and Cu2+ from Nipa palm (Nypa fruticans Wurmb) biomass. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 4: 923-927.
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