Borassus aethiopum

Borassus aethiopum

The African fan palm or African palmyra palm, deleb palm, ron palm, toddy palm, black rhun palm, rônier palm (Borassus aethiopum Mart., 1838) is an arboreal species belonging to the Arecaceae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Subkingdom Tracheobionta,
Spermatophyta superdivision,
Magnoliophyta division,
Class Liliopsida,
Arecales Order,
Arecaceae family
Subfamily Coryphoideae,
Tribe Borasseae,
Subtribe Lataniinae,
Genus Borassus,
Species B. aethiopum.
The terms are synonyms:
– Borassus aethiopum var. bagamojense Becc.;
– Borassus aethiopum var. senegalense Becc.;
– Borassus deleb Becc.;
– Borassus flabellifer var. aethiopum (Mart.) Warb.;
– Borassus sambiranensis Jum. & H.Perrier.

Etymology –
The term Borassus comes from the Greek βόρασσος bórassos, a term which in Dioscorides refers to the inflorescence enclosed in the involucral bract, reused by Linnaeus as a name for a new genus of palms.
The specific epithet aethiopum is the plural genitive of Aethiopes Ethiopians, inhabitants of Ethiopia understood in a broad sense: of the Ethiopians and in a broad sense of the Africans, with reference to one of the places of origin.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Borassus aethiopum is a palm native to tropical Africa; where it is widespread from Senegal to Ethiopia and from southern to northern South Africa, although it is largely absent from wooded areas of central Africa and desert regions such as the Sahara and Namibia. In particular, it is present in the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, the Gulf of Guinea Islands, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, South Africa (Limpopo), Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Its habitat is that of the river plains and coastal plains; open secondary forest; dense forest boundaries; savanna in drier areas where it is limited to grasslands with high water tables, or along streams, often forming dense stands in temporarily flooded areas.

Description –
Borassus aethiopum is a dioecious palm which grows with single and cylindrical stems, 12-25 m in height and 40-50 cm in diameter, dilated at the base and in the old specimens also in the upper half, up to 70-80 cm in diameter ; these are covered by intertwined foliar bases, except in the older part, which is greyish in colour, wrinkled, marked by 5-6 cm spaced foliar scars.
The leaves are fan-shaped, 3 meters wide and more, with petioles 2 meters long; the margins are armed with spines. They form a spherical crown, 7 m wide, the leaves are round with rigid leaflets, segmented at one third or half of the petiole.
The inflorescences form between the leaves, are drooping, with the male ones carried by a short peduncle, 0,8-1,8 m long, with second order ramifications and cylindrical rachillae covered by spirally arranged bracts, imbricate, united at the base to form a bag each containing up to 30 flowers, which emerge individually in succession, with 3 sepals united at the base, tubular trilobed corolla and 6 stamens. The female inflorescences are not ramified, carried by a short peduncle, 1,2-2,2 m long, covered by concave bracts containing a single sessile flower, of 2-3 cm of diameter, with 3 sepals and 3 imbricate free petals, 6 staminoids and globular tricarpellar gynoecium.
The fruits are globose and of an orange-yellow color tending to brown, 10-16 cm long, 8-12 cm of diameter and about 2 kg of weight, with fibrous orange colored pulp, edible, containing 1-3 bilobed seeds. The fruit resembles that of the coconut.

Cultivation –
Borassus aethiopum is an evergreen palm that is widely used for food, medicine and a wide range of products.
All parts of the tree are used of this palm and the fruit is often sold in local markets. Furthermore, the plant is also cultivated as an ornamental.
Unfortunately the widespread use of this plant, especially by eating the shoot and tapping the sap, has considerably reduced the number of these specimens in their natural habitat. However, as part of a conservation project, the palm is sometimes grown in Africa, as well as grown in Panama, Brazil, India, Thailand and Malaysia.
It is a plant of warm, tropical climates with low to medium rainfall, usually at elevations below 400 metres, but up to 1,200 meters in East Africa.
The plant grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are between 20 and 35°C, but can tolerate 15-45°C.
It prefers an average annual rainfall between 500 and 1,000 mm, but tolerates 400 – 1,200 mm.
Requires well-drained soil and full sun. It is usually found in sandy, well-drained soils but prefers alluvial soils near streams.
Plants are able to extract nutrients, and therefore grow, on very nutrient-poor soils and prefer a pH in the range of 5.5 – 7, tolerating 5 – 7.5.
In the adult stage they are drought tolerant and are slow growing but long lived, being able to live to be over 100 years old.
Three stages of growth are usually recognized. The first stage, which lasts about 6 to 8 years, involves leaf development, where about 20 leaves grow in a large canopy of about 3 meters by 3 meters. There is very little upside growth right now. The second stage involves rapid growth of the trunk above the ground and takes place around 8-20 years of age. The tree’s bark is still rough at this stage and has many leaf stalks. The third phase, from about 20 years onwards, involves flowering and shedding of the petioles of the leaves. The trunk becomes smooth, and swellings appear on it.
The plant usually flowers and produces fruit all year round.
The flowering stems are tapped for their sap, a process that begins when the tree is in its 30s and can continue for another 30 years if carefully managed. Yields of 2 liters of sap per day can be obtained.
This palm reproduces by seed, which has a limited germinability duration, generally planted directly, given that the hypocotyl which develops from the seed, and at whose extremity there is the embryo which will give rise to the plant, can go as far as at 1m depth. The seed is to be placed in full sun in deep and draining soils, the first leaf, in the best cultivation conditions, will begin to emerge after 7-8 months. As an alternative, if it is not possible to plant the seed directly, deep pots can be used, paying much attention in the subsequent stage of transplanting into full ground.

Customs and Traditions –
Borassus aethiopum is a tropical African plant known by various common names; among these we remember: African fan palm, African palmyra palm, black-rum palm, borassus palm, deleb palm, elephant palm, ron palm, toddy palm (English); daleib, deleib (Arabic); agbon, ago, agontin, kolaka, ronn, rônier (Benin); koaga (Burkina Faso); babalda, kolongo (Cameroon); gbokoso, kom (Central African Republic); ba dia madibu (Congo); ago, agogo, wirdso (Ghana); cebe, kanke (Guinea); buane, cibe, n’bene, opane, umbena (Guinea-Bissau); edukut, mnazi, mugumo, nazi, ngolokolo (Kenya); dimaka (Madagascar); sébé (Mali); agbon, agbon odan, doubts, egba, kemeletu, nsongo, ubiri (Nigeria); njol, ronn (Senegal); mvumo (Swahili); mchapa, mhama mpama, mvumo, vumo (Tanzania); dukukankpatu (Togo); edukut, itu, katungo, makoga, musheti, tugu (Uganda).
The pulp of the fruit is consumed from this palm, with a penetrating smell of turpentine; in addition to the pulp, which is locally consumed both raw and cooked, the albumen of the immature seeds is also consumed, with a pleasant taste, and the hypocotyl, rich in starch, obtained by germinating the seeds in pits prepared for the purpose.
From the sap, collected by cutting the apex of the palm, a sugar and a refreshing drink are obtained, which when fermented provides a highly appreciated liqueur, a practice which involves the death of the plant and has caused a drastic decrease in its presence in some areas.
The stems, which are resistant to xylophagous insects, are used in construction, the petioles for fences, the leaves for roofing and walls of rural houses and the fibers, obtained from those still enclosed, to make bags, mats, fishing nets, brooms and other commonly used items.
Furthermore, various parts of the plant are used in the traditional medicine of the various populations for various pathologies.
Other uses include agroforestry. The tree is used to form an excellent firebreak, especially in arid regions of West Africa, which are prone to wildfires.
The leaves are also used for various purposes including shelter, straw, mats and baskets.
Young leaves, before opening, can be divided into strips and woven into thin mats, baskets and other household items.
The mature leaves are used for straw and a fiber is obtained from them to make nets.
The leaf petioles are used to make furniture, baskets, fences, etc.
The fiber extracted from the base of the leaf stalk has excellent resistance to chemical agents, termites and water.
The ends of the leaf petiole can be immersed in water to give fibers which are used as sponges or filters.
The midribs of the leaves are used to make brooms, fish traps, and nets.
Furthermore, an oil is extracted from the fruit and the ashes of the male flowers have a good potash content.
The wood, dark brown, coarsely fibrous, is a very valuable timber locally. It is very solid, hard, heavy, very resistant to termites and fungi. It is difficult to saw, plane or sand; splits when nailed. Only the outer part of the stem, between the base and the first swelling, is fit for use. This layer, which can be 7 – 10 cm thick on male trees, but only 4 – 5 cm thick on female trees, is used in carpentry, construction, for telegraph poles, piers, and also for household items.
Furthermore, the wood is used as fuel and to make charcoal.

Method of Preparation –
Borassus aethiopum is a palm with multiple uses.
The fruits are edible, as are the tender roots produced by the young plant; fibers can be obtained from the leaves; and wood (which is believed to be termite-proof) can be used in the construction.
the fruits are eaten fresh or dried; they have a slightly sweet taste, but with a slight turpentine flavor.
The fruits have a thick and fibrous pulp, weighing about 500 g each, which smells strongly of turpentine.
They are eaten raw or cooked, preferably with rice and eaten as food supplements; they are rich in oil.
The ripe and fallen fruits are picked, peeled and the juicy pulp is squeezed into water to form a solution which is added to the porridge during cooking to enhance its flavour.
The immature seed contains a sweet juice that can be drunk like coconut water.
As it matures, it solidifies into a gelatinous and finally solid. It can be eaten at all stages, the flavor gradually becoming more nutty.
The young seedlings are eaten as a vegetable such as asparagus.
Ripe seeds can be buried in pits and allowed to germinate, and the sprouts are said to be a delicacy.
The tuberous portion of the first juvenile leaves is rich in starch: they make it a very valuable vegetable.
The apical shoot and young leaves are eaten raw or cooked and are eaten in salads, or used as a vegetable.
However, it should be remembered that the use of the shoot leads to the final death of the plant since it is unable to produce lateral shoots.
The sap that is extracted from the stem is rich in sugars; it can be made into a refreshing drink, fermented to make palm wine (toddy) or vinegar, or the sugars can be extracted.
The tip of the trunk is cut and hollowed out to create a bowl-shaped depression where sap accumulates. The sap is then collected and lightly fermented into a refreshing drink.
Destructive harvesting is sometimes employed, where the felling is renewed twice a day for 3 – 4 weeks until the tree becomes exhausted and dies.
In the medicinal field, the roots are used to treat stomach parasites, bronchitis, sore throat and asthma, as well as being used for a mouthwash.
The leaves are said to be an aphrodisiac.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/275376744/original.jpeg

Attention: The pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; we therefore decline all responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.