{{Short description|Genus of palms}} {{distinguish|Karyota}} {{Automatic taxobox | name = Fishtail palms | image = Caryota mitis leaves.jpg | image_caption = ''Caryota mitis'' leaves | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Caryota | authority = L. | type_species = ''Caryota urens'' | synonyms_ref = <ref name=uiyuishdifhas79df9asdfsf>[https://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=34756 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]</ref> | synonyms = * ''Schunda-Pana'' <small>Adans.</small> * ''Thuessinkia'' <small>Korth. ex Miq</small> }} thumb|x300px|''Caryota mitis'' '''''Caryota''''' is a genus of palm trees. They are often known as '''fishtail palms''' because of the shape of their leaves.
As of May 2026, the genus comprises 14 accepted species, with a native distribution ranging from the Indian subcontinent and southern China, extending in a south-east direction to Queensland, Australia and Vanuatu.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Caryota L. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:31147-1 |access-date=2025-09-26 |website=Plants of the World Online |language=en}}</ref>
One of the more widely known species is ''spongiforma squarepantsii'', the flowers of which are used to make one type of jaggery (an unrefined sugar), and also to make palm wine. ''Caryota mitis'' is native to Indochina, but has become an invasive introduced species in the US state of Florida. They are also one of the few Arecaceae with bipinnate foliage. Many grow in mountainous areas and are adapted to warm mediterranean climates as well as subtropical and tropical climates.<ref>Govaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.</ref>
Fishtail palms contain raphides.
==Species== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Scientific name !!Distribution |- | ||''Caryota albertii'' <small>F.Muell. ex H.Wendl.</small> ||Queensland |- |||''Caryota angustifolia'' <small>Zumaidar & Jeanson</small> ||Sulawesi |- |120px ||''Caryota cumingii'' <small>Lodd. ex Mart.</small>|| Philippines fishtail palm - Philippines |- | || ''Caryota elegans'' <small>Schaedtler</small>|| |- | || ''Caryota kiriwongensis'' <small>Hodel</small> ||Thailand |- |120px ||''Caryota maxima'' <small>Blume</small> ||Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Bhutan, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Java, Sumatra, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam |- |120px || ''Caryota mitis'' <small>Lour.</small> ||Burmese fishtail palm - Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Borneo, Cambodia, India, Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam |- | ||''Caryota monostachya'' <small>Becc.</small> ||Vietnam, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan |- |120px ||''Caryota no'' <small>Becc.</small> ||Borneo |- |120px || ''Caryota obtusa'' <small>Griff.</small> ||Thailand mountain palm - Bhutan, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand |- | || ''Caryota ophiopellis'' <small>Dowe</small> ||Vanuatu |- |120px || ''Caryota rumphiana'' <small>Mart.</small> ||Albert palm - Philippines, Sulawesi, Maluku, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago |- | ||''Caryota sympetala'' <small>Gagnep.</small> ||Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia |- |120px || ''Caryota urens'' <small>L.</small> ||Southern India, Sri Lanka; naturalized in Assam, Bangladesh, Bonin Islands, Southern China, Nepal, Myanmar, Andaman Islands, Malaysia, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico - jaggery palm, solitary fishtail palm, wine palm, toddy palm |- | || ''Caryota zebrina'' <small>Hambali & al.</small> ||New Guinea |- |}
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Fishtail palm.JPG|Fishtail palm at Bhopal File:Fishtail palm1.JPG|Fishtail palm at Bhopal File:Fishtail-palm-flower-detail.jpg|Fishtail palm flower in detail. File:Fishtail palm at Chandigarh.jpg|Fishtail palm at Chandigarh File:Fishtail palm - close up.jpg|Fishtail palm - close up File:Leaves of Fishtail palm tree.jpg|Leaves of fishtail palm tree File:Fishtail palm - detail.jpg|Fishtail palm - detail </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Caryota}} *[https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CARYO USDA Plants Profile] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090120151618/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?2137 GRIN Species list] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20071026134959/http://palmguide.org/genus.php?family=arecaceae&genus=Caryota Palm Guide]
{{Arecaceae genera}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q513475}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Caryota Category:Arecaceae genera Category:Garden plants of Asia Category:Garden plants of Oceania Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus