Distribution
provided by EOL authors
Hyphaene petersiana is distributed within much of sub-Saharan Africa, occupying much of the southern half of that continent.
Brief Summary
provided by EOL authors
Hyphaene petersiana is distributed within much of sub-Saharan Africa, occupying much of the southern half of that continent.
Known by the common name of Makalani palm, this species is often found along riparian areas, even where rivers are dry for most of the year, as in some locales of the Namib Desert; in those cases such as in the Hoarusib, pips wash down from the watershed that leads to the northeast, establishing young plants in the unlikely arid desert region. These trees are graceful and slender, maturing to a height of seven to 15 meters. The fruits are edible and tasty.
Derivation of specific name
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
petersiana: named after Professor Wilhelm Peters (1815-1863) of Berlin who collected in Mozambique in the early 19th century.
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- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
- bibliographic citation
- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Hyphaene petersiana Mart. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=111940
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Description
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Tall erect, single-stemmed tree. Stems erect, rarely suckering to form clumps. Leaves crowded on top of the stem, fan-shaped, up to 2.5 m including the petiole. Petiole armed with recurved thorns. Male and female flowers on different trees; male flowers in short spikes; female flowers in large sprays, which develop into branched trusses of fruits. Fruits almost spherical, 4-6cm in diameter. The hard white kernel of the seed is known as "vegetable ivory". This species is very similar to the closely related H. coriacea and there is some debate about the exact taxonomic status of the two. H. coriacea differs mainly in the fruit being pear-shaped. The trees appear to be generally smaller and sucker more readily.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
- bibliographic citation
- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Hyphaene petersiana Mart. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=111940
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Frequency
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Local
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
- bibliographic citation
- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Hyphaene petersiana Mart. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=111940
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Worldwide distribution
provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
From Central Africa to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and S Africa
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
- bibliographic citation
- Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Hyphaene petersiana Mart. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=111940
- author
- Mark Hyde
- author
- Bart Wursten
- author
- Petra Ballings
Hyphaene petersiana
provided by wikipedia EN
Hyphaene petersiana, the real fan palm or makalani palm, is a palm tree native to the subtropical, low-lying regions of south central Africa.
Range and habitat
It is found in Burundi, Rwanda, the DRC, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and the northern and north-eastern Limpopo.[2] Its habitat is open woodland, flood plains, banks of rivers and the fringes of pans and swamps.
Reproduction
As with other Hyphaene species, H. petersiana is dioicous and the female plants produce copious fruit of some 60 mm diameter. Up to 2,000 fruit may be found on a tree,[3] the combined yield of about four seasons.[4] The seeds germinate with difficulty but find saline conditions beneficial.[4] They develop massive tap-roots which draw saline water deep underground.[4] Though slow-growing,[3] they may attain a maximum height of 18 metres.[5] Typical adult plants however stand some 5 to 7 metres tall.
Uses and associations
The plants are utilised by humans and animals. Repeated cutting of the growth point to obtain sap for palm wine production may eventually destroy the trees.[3] The stem pith is edible. Beneath the outer fibrous husk of the fruit is a core of white endosperm known as vegetable ivory, initially soft and edible and containing some liquid comparable to coconut milk.[5] The Ovambo people call the fruit of the Makalani palm eendunga and use it to distill ombike, their traditional liquor.[6] African palm swifts[4] and rufous-tailed palm-thrushes regionally depend on this species for breeding.
Similar species
The species is similar to H. coriacea, which occurs to the southeast. It is however distinguishable by the shape of the fruit–round rather than pear-shaped–and the shape of the stem, which regularly bulges out below the foliage. B. aethiopum has a comparable stem shape.[7][8]
See also
Gallery
Fruit sans outer coat, showing thick fibrous coat covering the shell and endosperm, Namibia
References
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^ The Plant List, Hyphaene petersiana
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^ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
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^ a b c Palgrave, Keith Coates (1984). Trees of Southern Africa. Cape Town: C. Struik. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-86977-081-8.
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^ a b c d "The makalani palm". tourbrief.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
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^ a b van Wyk, Braam, Piet van Wyk (1997). Trees of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-1-86825-922-9.
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^ Shaanika, Helvy (26 October 2012). "Ombike – a potent traditional brew". New Era. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012.
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^ Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von. 1845. Historia Naturalis Palmarum 3: 227, Hyphaene Petersiana
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^ Kirk, James Tiberius. 1866. Journal of the Linnean Society. Botany. London, 9: 235, Hyphaene ventricosa
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- Wikipedia authors and editors
Hyphaene petersiana: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Hyphaene petersiana, the real fan palm or makalani palm, is a palm tree native to the subtropical, low-lying regions of south central Africa.
- license
- cc-by-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Wikipedia authors and editors
