Salak , scientifically known asSalacca zalacca , go to the Arecaceae family line , the palm family , which include species like coconut ( Cocos nucifera ) and date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera ) . The genusSalaccacomprises about 20 species , primarily native to Southeast Asia , withS. zalaccabeing the most widely cultivated for its comestible yield . The name “ salak ” is infer from the Javanese and Sundanese languages , while “ zalacca ” reflects its botanical assignment . It ’s a dioecian flora ( separate male and female works ) , though some cultivars , like Salak Bali , are monoecious . Its categorisation aligns it with other tropic palms , distinguished by its short height and yield - bearing cluster .
Salak ’s origins trace back to the humid Lowlands of Scotland of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia , where it likely grew dotty before tameness . While its exact commencement are uncertain , it has been cultivated for one C across Indonesia , with grounds suggesting its consumption by local communities predating compound record . By the 19th century , it had propagate to Bali , Lombok , Timor , Maluku , and Sulawesi , naturalise in these region , and was introduced to Thailand , Malaysia , the Philippines , and beyond , including Queensland , Australia , and part of the Pacific . The Dutch compound influence in the 1930s boosted its refinement in places like Yogyakarta , where Salak Pondoh emerged in the eighties as a commercial favorite due to selective rearing . roll in the hay as “ snake yield ” for its scaly skin , salak ’s cultural signification and exportation increase have made it a southeasterly Asian staple .
Salak is a short - stemmed palm , rarely exceeding 6 measure ( 20 feet ) in superlative , with a clumping ontogenesis habit formed by fork at the floor . Its leaves , up to 6 meters long , have setaceous petioles ( up to 2 meters ) gird with 15 centimetre spines , and numerous leaflets create a slow , prickly canopy . The fruit grows in cluster of 15 - 40 at the thenar ’s cornerstone , each a drupe about 5 - 8 cm farsighted and 5 atomic number 96 across-the-board , shape like a fig with a pointed tip . The reddish - brown , scaly skin — thin yet tough — peels off to disclose 1 - 3 creamy white-hot to yellowish lobes , resembling large garlic clove , each encasing a laborious , inedible chocolate-brown seeded player . The flesh ranges from dry and crumbly ( for instance , Salak Pondoh ) to moist and crunchy ( e.g. , Salak Bali ) , with a mellisonant - woman of the street flavor blending pineapple plant , apple , and banana musical note , often with a meek astringency that varies by cultivar .
Salacca zalaccathrives in humid tropic lowland climates , making it advantageously suited to USDA zone 10 - 11 , where temperatures remain above 50 ° F ( 10 ° vitamin C ) yr - around . It prefers consistent fondness ( 75 - 95 ° F or 24 - 35 ° C ) and high humidness ( 70 - 90 % ) , with one-year rainfall of 1700 - 3100 mm , and can not tolerate icing or prolonged cold below 60 ° fluorine ( 15 ° C ) . In zones 9b-10 , it can be rise with protection ( for instance , glasshouse or expectant mulching ) if started indoors and shielded from wintertime chill , though yield quality diminishes above 500 meter elevation or in teetotal conditions . It ’s typically cultivated under partial shade in well - drained stain like sandy loams or laterites , relying on a high water table or irrigation due to its superficial roots .
