Argoon, Nubian desert palm
Medemia argun

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. The trunk is bare. It grows 10 m high. The trunk is 30 cm across. The stems of younger plants are covered with old leaf bases. Older trees have closely placed leaf scars. The leaf crown is dense and round. There are usually dead leaves at the base of the crown. The leaf stalks are bright yellow. These are 1 m long. The leaf stalks have black teeth when young. The leaves are rounded with leaflets like fingers on a hand. They are blue-green. The leaves are 1.3-1.6 m across. The leaf segments are stiff and rigid. They are widely sword shaped. They have long tapering tips. The seeds are the size and shape of plums. They are egg shaped and 5 cm long. They are dark purple to black when ripe. They have red stripes inside. The fruit are edible.

There is only one Medemia species. The species was almost extinct and is now being planted worldwide.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. Its natural location is the deserts of Sudan. It needs warm to hot conditions and a minimum of water. The lower portions of the trunk are often covered with wind blown sand. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Egypt, North Africa, Sudan

How it is used for food

The unripe seeds are buried and they produce a flour with a taste like coconuts.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

The large oval seeds germinate quickly and put down a long sinker root.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Areca passalacque Kunth; Hyphaene argun C. Mart.; Medemia abiadensis H. Wendl.;