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- Jan 7, 2003
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Many different types of palm trees grow in the tropics. There are so many types of palms that I won’t go into the individual uses they can provide (I’m just learning tis all myself). A typical palm grove is described below and provides for many needs of a survivor stranded in the tropics. These resources would be very hard to take advantage of without a quality machete.
Many wild palms are protected by long, hard thorns the size of nails. These grow in abundance on the trunks. Likewise the undersides of the leaves may also contain needle-like thorns that can give nasty wounds. This survival strategy often protects edible fruit to allow it to ripen before it is eaten. These long, hard thorns can easily be made into coarse needles for sewing with natural fibers.
The wide cardboard-like base of dead palm branches is good for waterproof shingle material and also holds up well as lashings or cordage. The dry leaf base is hard to cut away from the central spine. In any grove of palms many of these dead branches will be on the ground in varying stages of decomposition.
The bases of the leaves are very woody and need to be hacked off with a machete to preserve the edge on sharper knives. The dry leaves burn very well and make good kindling.
The central spine makes an excellent support pole for shelters. These will be about ten feet long and slightly curved. They can be lashed together with cordage made form the leaf bases in any convenient configuration.
Palm seed stems are very useful for making fire. Most palms have a few of these broom-like structures, stripped of fruit hanging dry below the green leaf base. These dry stems often fall off after storms and can be found littering the ground in the grove. Split the base of the seed stem and remove weathered fiber mass. This makes good tinder. I was able to ignite it with a blast match. Split the inner stalk and remove the protected dried vascular fibers. Shred them into straw and roll/twist into a bird’s nest of tinder. Place the bird’s nest in the broom-like end of the seed stalk. Light the tinder ball and blow. The broom of the seed stalk burns very well and can be used like a torch or kindling base of a fire.
Green Branches can be split down the middle or woven to make water resistant thatching. Laid on heavy and at a steep angle they shed water very well. Each palm holds between ten and fourteen large green branches. Their bases protect the palm heart.
The large central palm heart is edible. Strip of the outer covering and roast the white part of the heart in the coals of the fire or cut into sections and boil. Harvesting this part of the tree will kill it so this is only to be done in an actual emergency.
If a survivor had a machete and was able to locate a grove of palms he could fell two of them to provide: several Kg of edible palm heart, waterproof thatching, waterproof /windproof shingles, two large logs, and cordage/lashing. The dead palm leaves littering the grove would provide structural support for the shelter, more lashing, waterproof shingles and resources for fire making and torches. Thus a grove of palms will provide shelter from rain or sun, fire, signal light/smoke, cordage, and food. Mac
Many wild palms are protected by long, hard thorns the size of nails. These grow in abundance on the trunks. Likewise the undersides of the leaves may also contain needle-like thorns that can give nasty wounds. This survival strategy often protects edible fruit to allow it to ripen before it is eaten. These long, hard thorns can easily be made into coarse needles for sewing with natural fibers.
The wide cardboard-like base of dead palm branches is good for waterproof shingle material and also holds up well as lashings or cordage. The dry leaf base is hard to cut away from the central spine. In any grove of palms many of these dead branches will be on the ground in varying stages of decomposition.
The bases of the leaves are very woody and need to be hacked off with a machete to preserve the edge on sharper knives. The dry leaves burn very well and make good kindling.
The central spine makes an excellent support pole for shelters. These will be about ten feet long and slightly curved. They can be lashed together with cordage made form the leaf bases in any convenient configuration.
Palm seed stems are very useful for making fire. Most palms have a few of these broom-like structures, stripped of fruit hanging dry below the green leaf base. These dry stems often fall off after storms and can be found littering the ground in the grove. Split the base of the seed stem and remove weathered fiber mass. This makes good tinder. I was able to ignite it with a blast match. Split the inner stalk and remove the protected dried vascular fibers. Shred them into straw and roll/twist into a bird’s nest of tinder. Place the bird’s nest in the broom-like end of the seed stalk. Light the tinder ball and blow. The broom of the seed stalk burns very well and can be used like a torch or kindling base of a fire.
Green Branches can be split down the middle or woven to make water resistant thatching. Laid on heavy and at a steep angle they shed water very well. Each palm holds between ten and fourteen large green branches. Their bases protect the palm heart.
The large central palm heart is edible. Strip of the outer covering and roast the white part of the heart in the coals of the fire or cut into sections and boil. Harvesting this part of the tree will kill it so this is only to be done in an actual emergency.
If a survivor had a machete and was able to locate a grove of palms he could fell two of them to provide: several Kg of edible palm heart, waterproof thatching, waterproof /windproof shingles, two large logs, and cordage/lashing. The dead palm leaves littering the grove would provide structural support for the shelter, more lashing, waterproof shingles and resources for fire making and torches. Thus a grove of palms will provide shelter from rain or sun, fire, signal light/smoke, cordage, and food. Mac
