Hyphaene petersiana
Encyclopedia
The Real fan palm locally known as the Makalani palm, is a palm tree native to the subtropical, lowlying regions of south central Africa. They are found in open woodland, flood plains, banks of rivers and the fringes of pans and swamps.
As with other Hyphaene spp., they are dioicous
and the female plants produce copious fruit. Up to 2,000 fruit may be found on a tree, the combined yield of about four seasons. The seeds germinate with difficulty, but find saline conditions beneficial. They develop massive tap-roots, which draw saline water deep underground. Though slow-growing, they may attain a maximum height of 18m. Typical adult plants are in the order of 5-7m high.
The plants are utilized by humans and animals. Repeated cutting of the growth point to obtain sap for palm wine
production, may eventually destroy the trees. The stem pith is edible and the young fruit contain limited amounts of liquid, comparable to coconut milk
.
The species is similar to H. natalensis, 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, as the stem regularly bulges out below the foliage. B. aethiopum has a comparable stem shape.
African Palm Swift
s and Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrush
es regionally depend on this species for breeding.
As with other Hyphaene spp., they are dioicous
Monoicous
Monoicous is a botanical term used to describe plants which bear both sperm and eggs on the same gametophyte. Dioicous is the complementary term describing species in which gametophytes produce only sperm or eggs but never both. The terms are used largely but not exclusively in the context of...
and the female plants produce copious fruit. Up to 2,000 fruit may be found on a tree, the combined yield of about four seasons. The seeds germinate with difficulty, but find saline conditions beneficial. They develop massive tap-roots, which draw saline water deep underground. Though slow-growing, they may attain a maximum height of 18m. Typical adult plants are in the order of 5-7m high.
The plants are utilized by humans and animals. Repeated cutting of the growth point to obtain sap for palm wine
Palm wine
Palm wine also called Palm Toddy also called "Kallu" written in Malayalam and கள்ளு in Tamil or simply Toddy is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, and coconut palms...
production, may eventually destroy the trees. The stem pith is edible and the young fruit contain limited amounts of liquid, comparable to coconut milk
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is the water that comes from the grated meat of a coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content. In many parts of the world, the term coconut milk is also used to refer to coconut water, the naturally occurring liquid found inside the hollow...
.
The species is similar to H. natalensis, 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, as the stem regularly bulges out below the foliage. B. aethiopum has a comparable stem shape.
African Palm Swift
African Palm Swift
The African Palm Swift is a small swift. It is very similar to the Asian Palm Swift, Cypsiurus balasiensis, and was formerly considered to be the same species....
s and Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrush
Rufous-tailed Palm-thrush
The Rufous-tailed Palm-thrush is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Angola, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Namibia....
es regionally depend on this species for breeding.