Sago climbing habit; the leaves are pinnate. Each palm trunk produces a single inflorescence at its tip at the end of its life. Sago palms are harvested at the age of 7–15 years, just before or shortly after the inflorescence appears and when the stems are full of starch stored for use in reproduction. One palm can yield 150–300 kg of starch. Sago is extracted from "Metroxylon" palms by splitting the stem lengthwise and removing the pith which is then crushed and kneaded to release the starch before being washed and strained to extract the starch from the fibrous residue. The
Sago Street restoration in the 1990s. The Cantonese call the street "little temple street" because of the "tua peh kong" temple located there. The Hokkiens (Min Nan speakers) refer the street as "gu chia chui hi hng koi cheng koi", meaning "the street in front of the theatre (street) in Kreta Ayer". The funeral parlours are located on nearby Sago Lane and not Sago Street. As such, Sago Lane has always being referred to as "sei yang gai" or "street of the dead" in Cantonese. However, there is no cemeteries in Sago Lane. During the years 1950 to 2000, the entire Sago