Hyphaene compressa

Hyphaene (hy-FEHN-eh) compressa (KOHM-Ppress-ah)
Singapore Botanical Gardens. Photo by Geoff Stein.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Hyphaene (hy-FEHN-eh) Species: compressa (KOHM-Ppress-ah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Africa
Morphology
Habit: Solitary & Given to aerial branching. Leaf type: Costapalmate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Doum Palm

Habitat and Distribution

Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, and Tanzania.

Witu, Kenya. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.

Comments and Curiosities

Perhaps the most magnificent and elegant of the Hyphaene, this large Doum Palm from East Africa is found in lowland savannas to 1400 m from southern Ethiopia to Mozambique, particularly along water-courses and in seasonally flooded areas. It forms a sturdy, dichotomously forking trunk which, under favorable conditions, can hold 32 or even up to 64 crowns of strongly costapalmate leaves. The large but lightweight fruits are a favored food of elephants and baboons. Especially in Kenya and Tanzania, its distinctive silhouette dominates many coastal savannas. Despite being rather common there, it is very rarely seen in cultivation, where it would be ideally suited to dry topical climates but also adapts to other conditions. It is exceptionally hardy to drought, saline soils and fire but needs full sun and heat to thrive. (RPS.com) Editing by edric.