Doum palm, Vegetable ivory palm
Hyphaene petersiana

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A tall usually unbranched palm. The trunk is usually swollen in the middle. It is woody and 15-20 m tall. The crown is made up of fan shaped leaves. The leaves are large and fan shaped and grey-green. They are folded along the centre and deeply divided into fine stiff segments. The leaves are 2 m across. The leaf stalk is 1.3 m long. The leaf stalk has thorns which curve backwards. The bases of the leaflets are unequal. The flowers are of separate sexes on separate trees. The male flowers are produced in short tangled spikes amongst the leaves. The female flowers are larger than the male and have short stalks. The fruit are round and borne in clusters. The fruit can be 4-5 cm across or larger. They have a hard shiny brown shell. The base of the fruit is not narrowed. The fruit have a layer of sweet, edible flesh around a hard bony kernel. The kernel can be soaked then eaten.

There are about 9 or 10 Hyphaene species. (Some authorities estimate 40).

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical southern Africa. It grows in open savannah and along streams and rivers. It can grow in salty soil. It can re-grow after fire. It grows between 275-1,300 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It grows in Miombo woodland in Africa. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa (country/location of origin), Angola, Asia, Botswana, Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, SE Asia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The flower bud can be tapped for sap used to make wine. The stem is tapped near the growing tip and the sap used to make wine. (It kills the palm). The palm heart is edible. The core of young trunks can be used as a vegetable. The layer around the fruit is eaten raw. The young fruit are boiled and eaten. The nut or kernel is soaked and eaten raw. The 'milk' like coconut milk can be drunk.

Edible parts

Nuts, bud, sap, fruit, seeds, sprouts

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

For sap, all the leaves are removed and the stem tip cut at an angle to start the sap flowing. The flow can be continued for 7 weeks by regularly cutting. The yield can be 8-60 litres. One tree can produce 20 to 50 kg of fruit.

Its other names

Local names

Fan palm, Ilala palm, Kambili, Lallo, Makalani palm, Manganda, Mlala, Mokola palm, Mokolowane, Mulala, Murara, Mutshema, Northern Ilala palm, Noordelike lalapalm, Omulunga, Omurungu, Palem gading sayur, Real fan palm, Vegetable ivory

Synonyms

Chamaeriphes benguelensis (Welw. ex H. Wendl.) Kuntze; Chamaeriphes ventricosa (Kirk) Kuntze; Hyphaene aurantiaca Dammer; Hyphaene benguellensis Welw. ex Wendl.; Hyphaene bussei Dammer; Hyphaene goetzei Dammer; Hyphaene obovata Furtado; Hyphaene ovata Furtado; Hyphaene plagiocarpa Dammer; Hyphaene ventricosa J. Kirk;