Hyphaene petersiana

Hyphaene petersiana

The African ivory nut palm or African wine palm, doum palm, ilala palm, makalani palm, makola palm, mokolwana palm, mulala palm, real fan palm, vegetable ivory palm (Hyphaene petersiana Klotzsch ex Mart., 1845) is an arboreal species belonging to the Arecaceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Liliopsida,
Subclass Arecidae,
Order Arecales,
Arecaceae family,
Subfamily Coryphoideae,
Tribe Borasseae,
Subtribe Hyphaeninae,
Genus Hyphaene,
Species H. petersiana.
The terms are synonymous:
– Chamaeriphes benguelensis (Welw. ex H.Wendl.) Kuntze;
– Chamaeriphes ventricosa (J.Kirk) Kuntze;
– Hyphaene aurantiaca Dammer;
– Hyphaene benguelensis Welw.;
– Hyphaene benguelensis Welw. ex H.Wendl.;
– Hyphaene benguelensis var. plagiocarpa (Dammer) Furtado;
– Hyphaene benguelensis var. ventricosa (J.Kirk) Furtado;
– Hyphaene bussei Dammer;
– Hyphaene goetzei Dammer;
– Hyphaene obovata Furtado;
– Hyphaene ovata Furtado;
– Hyphaene petersiana Klotzsch;
– Hyphaene plagiocarpa Dammer;
– Hyphaene ventricosa J.Kirk;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. ambolandensis Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. anisopleura Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. aurantiaca (Dammer) Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. benguelensis (Welw. ex H.Wendl.) Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. bussei (Dammer) Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. goetzei (Dammer) Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. petersiana (Klotzsch ex Mart.) Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. plagiocarpa (Dammer) Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. russisiensis Becc.;
– Hyphaene ventricosa subsp. useguhensis Becc..

Etymology –
The term Hyphaene comes from the Greek “ὑφαίνω” (hyphaino), that is, to weave, to weave, with probable reference to the intertwining of fibers in the pulp of the fruit.
The specific epithet Petersiana is in honor of the German explorer and naturalist Wilhelm Peters (1815-1883).

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Hyphaene petersiana is a palm native to central-southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, northern South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
Its habitat is that of open woods, alluvial plains, river banks and the edges of basins and swamps. in East Africa it is often found inland on alkaline soils with a high water table, elsewhere it is more common along the coast.

Description –
Hyphaene petersiana is a somewhat variable, solitary, and only occasionally caespitose dioecious palm, topped by a fan-shaped crown of very large leaves.
The stems are erect, up to about 15 m long and 35 cm in diameter, sometimes with a slight swelling in the middle part, rarely branched, gray in color and vertically fissured.
The leaves are costapalmate, 1.5-2 m long and about 1.3 m wide, divided into 35-40 linear-lanceolate segments with a slightly bifid sharp apex, united at the base for less than half their length, of a gray-green to bluish green.
They have a petiole, 1-1.5 m long and about 5 cm wide, covered with tiny brown scales and a waxy patina; this is provided at the edges with robust blackish thorns curved upwards; the leaf bases, fissured longitudinally at the petiole for a length of about 20 cm, remain on the plant for a long time, forming a typical crossed weave.
The male and female inflorescences are found on different individuals, growing between the leaves (interfoliar), with second-order ramifications; the male arched ones, 1-2 m long, with 10-13 rachillae, up to 40 cm long, arranged in a semicircle at the apex of the primary ramifications, and flowers arranged sunken on the rachillae in groups of 3, which open in succession, with 6 stamens; the female inflorescences are arched, then hanging in fruit, 1-1.2 m long, with one, rarely 2-3, rachilles at the apex of the primary ramifications, up to 35 cm long, and solitary flowers, on a short hairy pedicel , with tricarpellate gynoecium.
The fruits, which usually develop from a single carpel, are of very variable shape even in the same infructescence, ovoid, obovoid or globose, 5-7 cm in length and width, reddish brown to dark brown in colour, shiny.
Female plants produce copious fruits; Up to 2,000 fruits can be found on one tree and the total yield of about four seasons.
Inside there is an ovoid seed 3-3.5 cm long and wide.
The species is similar to Hyphaene coriacea, which is found in the southeast. However, it is distinguished by the shape of the fruit – round rather than pear – and the shape of the stem, which protrudes regularly under the foliage. Borassus aethiopum has a comparable stem shape.

Cultivation –
Hyphaene petersiana is an evergreen fan palm that is widely used by local people as a source of food and materials for making baskets and many other items.
Products made from the tree are often sold in local markets.
For cultivation it requires at least a subtropical climate, preferring hot and dry climates. They can tolerate areas of high rainfall as long as the soil is well drained.
Cultivated plants are very resistant to drought.
However, it is a rare plant outside its areas of origin, despite the elegance and beauty of the foliage, especially in specimens with more intense shades of blue. Slow growing, it can be cultivated in the milder tropical, subtropical and marginally warm temperate climate zones, where it can withstand temperatures just below 0 °C, but with even slower growth.
This palm requires full sun, even in the initial stages of growth, and adapts to a wide variety of soils, including poor and saline ones, with a preference for deep, draining and sandy ones. In nature it tolerates long periods of drought if it can draw on the underground aquifer, in cultivation it must be regularly irrigated in climates characterized by long hot and dry summers for faster growth and a more luxuriant appearance.
It generally reproduces by seed, usually planted directly, less frequently in containers at least 50 cm deep, given that the hypocotyl that develops from the seed, and at the end of which there is the embryo from which the plant will originate, extends to this depth or a little further; the hypocotyl is particularly fragile, so great attention is required during the germination phase. The subsequent passage from the container to the open ground must also be done with caution and when the plant has grown sufficiently and has produced a good root system. The substrate must preferably be sandy, and must be kept humid at a temperature of 28-30 °C.
The germination percentage is generally low, and the times rather long, unless the seeds are pre-treated, cleaned of the pulp, keeping them in water, renewed daily for about ten days, to affect the hard seed coat; the pre-treated seeds germinate, in the best cultivation conditions, starting from 4 months. In nature, germination is accelerated and facilitated by fires, which often develop in the savannahs, and by the passage through the digestive system of the animals that feed on them.

Customs and Traditions –
Hyphaene petersiana is a palm known by various common names; among these are: African ivory nut palm, African wine palm, doum palm, ilala palm, makalani palm, makola palm, mokolwana palm, mulala palm, real fan palm, vegetable ivory palm (English); omulunga (Angola); mbare, mokola (Botswana); ka koma, ka puku (Malawi); eembale, ervare, hee, kakoma, lallo, murunga, ndunga, ngone, nombare, oluvale, omulunga, omurunga, ondunga, oshaale, oshivale, tjanni (Namibia); evare, noordelike lalapalm, omurungu, opregte waaierpalm (South Africa); hangwe, ilala, mlala, mulala, thati (Tanzania); ka pukupuku, lu bali (Zambia); ilala, kwangali, murara, muzira, ngumba (Zimbabwe).
It is a plant widely distributed in a vast area of central-southern Africa and has always played an important role in the life of indigenous populations. The stems are used in construction, the dry leaves as covering for homes and the petioles in fences. From young leaves not yet opened with an appropriate procedure, robust fibers are obtained which are used to manufacture a multitude of everyday craft objects, but also artistic ones, which can be found in local markets; Unfortunately, excessive and repeated collection of leaves, as happens in some places, leads to a progressive deterioration of the plant until its death.
Plants are used by humans and animals. Repeated cutting of the growing point to obtain sap for palm wine production can eventually destroy the trees. The pith of the stem is edible. Beneath the fruit’s outer fibrous skin is a core of white endosperm known as vegetable ivory, which is initially soft and edible and contains a liquid comparable to coconut milk. The Ovambo people call the fruit of the Makalani palm eendunga and use it to distill ombike, their traditional liquor.
From an ecological point of view, Cypsiurus parvus and Cichladusa ruficauda depend on this species for their reproduction.
Furthermore, due to the increase in population and consequent greater demand for both the leaves and the drink, the presence of the species in nature has significantly reduced, so much so that local authorities have taken measures to regulate its exploitation. The use of vegetative tips (“hearts of palm”) and young shoots as vegetables is also discouraged and in some countries prohibited.
Among other uses it is reported that the hard white nut is used to carve buttons and similar objects and used to make ornamental objects.
The leaves are used to weave mats, hats, fans, etc., and to make baskets.
The leaves are used for straw.
Ropes are made from the fiber of the leaf. The fiber is also used to make the strings of musical instruments, while the leaves can be woven into very fine bracelets.
Leaf petioles are used for building huts, fences.
Leaf petioles and flower stalks are used as fuel for cooking.

Preparation Method –
Hyphaene petersiana plants are used by humans and animals.
The species is the main source of a low-alcohol drink that is highly appreciated and requested throughout the area of origin, sometimes distilled for a higher alcohol content, obtained by cutting the vegetative apex, generally of young plants, and collecting the sap that comes out; the incision operation must be repeated daily for several weeks to keep the flow constant until it runs out, this operation also involves the death of the plant.
The pulp of the fruits, yellow-orange and aromatic, is edible, energetic, but very fibrous, it is consumed raw or fermented and distilled to obtain an alcoholic drink, even the immature, liquid endosperm is edible, with a pleasant flavour, while from the mature one, which is particularly hard, small artisanal and artistic objects such as vegetable ivory are obtained. The young leaves and fruits are used as food for domestic animals, particularly in periods of drought when other food sources are scarce, but they also represent an important food resource for fauna, in particular baboons and elephants, which contribute to the dispersal of seeds .
The fibrous fruit is eaten raw. Beneath the shiny shell lies a sweet, porous layer of meat. The pulp can be fermented to make a wine.
The apical bud is cooked and eaten but this usually leads to the death of the tree as it is rarely unable to form lateral branches.
Germinating seeds are also eaten.
In the medicinal field, the pulp of the fruit is used to treat stomach ache and to rid the body of intestinal worms.

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 d’Italia, 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/339865651/original.jpeg

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