Cyrtostachys renda Blume

Etymology	Genus	Arched spikes, referring to the curving flower spikes
	Species	After the Malay name for palm
Family		Arecaceae
Synonyms		Cyrtostachys lakka Becc.
Common Names		Lipstick Palm, Sealing Wax Palm
Status		Native: Critically Endangered
Form		Multi-stem palm
Native Distribution		Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Borneo

Diagnostics

Cyrtostachys renda can be easily identified by its multi-stem form and reddish crown-shaft and leaf-stalks.

Interesting Facts

The Lipstick Palm is the 3rd most abundant palm being cultivated in Singapore, according to a botanical survey within 5 towns which I conducted in 2011. Because of its attractiveness, it is normally grown at points of entry. A freshwater swamp forest species, it was thought be be locally extinct till a recent rediscovery in the Western Catchment area (Loo et al., 2014).

References

Loo AHB, Ang WF, Baker WJ & HTW Tan (2014) A Guide to the Native Palms of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore. 174 pp.