Palm tree - National tree of Cambodia

Palm tree became the symbol tree of Cambodia in 2005 by the king's royal decree. The Khmer Riel note also has palm tree symbol. Palm tree has so much benefits, every part of the tree are usable.

Palm trees at Angkor Wat

Khmer name: ត្នោត “Tnaot”
English name or common name: Palm tree

Scientific name: Borassus flabellifer

Geography: this tree is native to the Indian subcontinent & Southeast Asia. Countries where they grow includes Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Lao, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.  

Tree characteristic: robust, ubiquitous and domestic plant, grown widely in Cambodia (mostly in Kompong Speu province), up to 30m height.

Fruit: sweet, watery fluid, great aroma

Benefits:

• Palm leaves: can be used for various purposes such as weaving to be mats, hats, thatching, fans, baskets, umbrellas, walls, decorative objects in religious ceremonies, wrap and pack food, writing material (palm-leaf manuscript), and souvenir things.
• The stem of the leaves: can be peeled off and be used as rope (before we have nylon and plastics, farmers used them to tie the cows) and also used to weave into cots.  
• Fruits: unripe, the skin is for vegetables and the inner seed is for dessert/snacks, ripe for cake and others, the seed after ripe are edible
• Trunk/ trees: can be used for constructions and buildings such as making canoes, a boat, a wall, fences, cordage and brushes as well as furniture such as tables, chairs, beds, and decorative ornaments. Some used them as table wears and utensils. 
• Flowers and juice: Flowers of the palm trees can produce so much juice and the sugar from it. There are two types of juice: sweet and sour juice. Sweet juice is the fresh juice that was just taken from the flowers. If you keep for many hours, it will become sour. This sour juice is called "Teuk Thnot Ju / Sour Palm Juice". It is like a wine, just keep without brewing. There are palm juice wine you can find at the market these days. For sweet juice, you can drink it like sugar cane juice or refine it for sugar palm. Some farmers who run family sugar business can produce up to 5 tons of sugar palm per year (best time to harvest is dry and hot season between Jan to April). This can give them so much incomes and benefits, of course brown sugar is made from palm juice and very beneficial to health (one kilo of sugar palm: 5$-10$). Kompong Speu province has much palm trees in Cambodia for the record, and also produces the #1 Quality of Palm Sugar or Brown Sugar. Prey Veng (my home province) has #2 quality, then Kompong Chhnang and Kompong Cham. 

Palm trees at Angkor Wata row of palm trees at Kompot provincePalm trees over the rice fieldRipe palm fruit - for cake, and the seed after it is ripe

Ripe fruit for palm cake - the leaves are for the wrap

Note: Palm sugar or brown sugar can be eaten 1) raw sugar with dessert and some other fruits and 2) used to cook in all dishes.

Palm fruit - watery juicy before ripe (served fresh as dessert or snacks)Palm sugar or brown sugar after refinement

Palm sugar can be produced as powder brown sugar and are for export too. You may find brown sugar at the Asian market at your countries.

You can always search for "Palm trees'' , many articles about it on Google.