Palm sugar sap ('toddy') from the flowers. The date palm has two species, "Phoenix dactylifera" and "P. sylvestris", and both are sources of palm sugar. "P. dactylifera" is common in the Mediterranean and Middle East. "P. sylvestris" is native to Asia, mainly Pakistan and India. Date palms are cultivated mainly for dates. Palm sugar is made from the tree's sap. The nipa palm ("Nypa fruticans") is native to the coastlines and tropical regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only palm tree that grows in a watery mangrove biome. Only its leaves and flowers grow above water. Palm sugar
Madagascan fruit bat that it is absent from these areas. It requires suitable rock fissures and caves in which to roost during the day. Colony size varies between about ten and five hundred individuals. Examination of the droppings from the Madagascan fruit bat show that it mainly consumes fruit but also feeds on the flowers of "Eucalyptus" spp.. It was found to fly as far as to reach trees of "Polyscias" spp. while largely neglecting the guava trees "Psidium" near its roost. Seeds smaller than about in diameter were swallowed. This helped with dispersal of the seed and it has been shown that