What Is a Nipa Tree?

Identification

• The nipa tree (Nypa fruticans) is a palm tree native to southeastern Asia and the Pacific. It is found as far south as Australia and as far north as southern regions of Japan and China, and it was introduced to parts of Africa. It is a mangrove-dwelling species, living along river and coastal banks and providing habitats for birds, crabs and other animals. Nipa palm plantations are common in the Philippines.

Uses

• The nipa palm provides food, fibers and housing materials. It has edible nuts, and its sap can be made into an alcoholic drink. The fronds are woven into mats, baskets and roof shingles, plus hats called salakot. In Malaysia, cigarette paper is another product for which nipa palms provide material. Nipa-palm roof shingles remain fairly durable for a few years but do eventually need to be replaced.

Growth Versus Threats

• The nipa palm spreads via rhizomes, and it is a fast-spreading plant that can quickly populate an area. However, it is also sensitive to its environment, and despite its ability to survive on coastlines, a lack of fresh water can kill off a grove. The tree needs the fresh water flowing out to sea to live, and if the balance of the water the nipa lives in changes from fresh to salt, even if the level of the water remains the same, the palm will suffer. One of the ways in which the nipa palm tries to protect itself from encroaching salt water is to spread back away from the area where the salt water is coming in, but as Old Dominion University notes, coastal development can block the palm from spreading.

Invasive Species Potential

• While the nipa palm is technically a mangrove species, it is so fast-growing that it can choke off other species in the area. Nipa palms have actually become quite invasive and destructive in Nigeria, where they were introduced as an additional mangrove species to help combat erosion. Professor K. Kathiresan of the Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology at Annamalai University in India notes that the species has become so widespread that it replaced native species and is now the target of a government control program.