Gingerbread palm, Northern lala palm
Hyphaene coriacea

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A dwarf branched palm. It only branches slightly. It can grow 10 m high. The stem is usually covered with the old leaf bases. The crown is fairly small. The leaves are grey-green, deeply divided and fan shaped. The fruit are pear shaped. They have distinctly narrowed bases. The fruit are drier and smaller than Hyphaene thebaica. They are brown when ripe and about 5 cm long. They have a thin layer of edible flesh.

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

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the coastal regions of East Africa. In Kenya it grows from sea level to 300 m altitude. It grows along stream banks and in low lying areas. It is usually in areas with a high water table. It suits temperate regions as well as the tropics. It requires well drained soil in a sunny position. It can grow on sand dunes. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. Adelaide Botanical Gardens. In Townsville Queens BG.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa (country/location of origin), Asia, Australia, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mayotte, Mozambique, SE Asia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, USA, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The pulp of the fruit is eaten. It is also used to make wine. The palm heart is used as a vegetable. The sap is tapped to make an alcoholic drink. This is called ilala wine or busulu wine. (The tapping method kills the tree). Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. The fibrous layer around the nut is eaten. The kernel of the nut is eaten. The milk from the seed is eaten. The shoots of the germinating seed are eaten as a vegetable.

There are about 14 million palms in the Natal area. A significant fruit tree in Mozambique.

Edible parts

Fruit pulp, palm heart, sap, nuts, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. The fleshy layer is removed. Seeds are slow to germinate and breaking the hard seed coat helps germination.

A palm of average size produces 68 litres of sap. Fruit are collected during the dry season.

Its other names

Local names

Babangy, East African Doum Palm, Fan palm, Gingerbread tree, Hala palm, Ilala palm, Lilala, Lokoko, Mkoma pasi, Mrara, Muchevo, Mulala, Mutshema, Mwaa, N'tchea, Nnala, Palem satrana, Satrana

Synonyms

Chamaeriphes coriacea (Gaertn.) Kuntze; Chamaeriphes shatan (Bojer ex Dammer) Kuntze; Chamaeriphes turbinata (H. Wendl.) Kuntze; Corypha africana Lour.; Hyphaene baronii Becc.; Hyphaene beccariana Furtado; Hyphaene hildebrandtii Becc.; Hyphaene natalensis Kuntze; Hyphaene oblonga Becc.; Hyphaene parvula Becc.; Hyphaene pileata Becc.; Hyphaene pleuropoda Becc.; Hyphaene pyrifera Becc.; Hyphaene pyrifera var. arenicola Becc.; Hyphaene pyrifera var. margaritensis Becc.; Hyphaene shatan Bojer ex Dammer; Hyphaene schatan var. hildebrandtii Boj.; Hyphaene spaerulifera Becc.; Hyphaene spaerulifera var. gosciaensis Becc.; Hyphaene tetragonoides Furtado; Hyphaene turbinata H. Wendl.; Hyphaene wendlandii Dammer;