Sago and New Guinea and is the primary source of sago. It tolerates a wide variety of soils and may reach 30 meters in height (including the leaves). Several other species of the genus "Metroxylon", particularly "Metroxylon salomonense" and "Metroxylon amicarum", are also used as sources of sago throughout Melanesia and Micronesia. Sago palms grow very quickly, in clumps of different ages similar to bananas, one sucker matures, then flowers and dies. It is replaced by another sucker, with up to 1.5 m of vertical stem growth per year. The stems are thick and are either self-supporting or have a moderate
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