Dr. Abdulaziz M. Assaeed

Hyphaene thebaica

Species

Arecaceae

Family

Dome

Vernacular Name

Life Form

A palm tree easily recognizable by the dichotomy of its stem. Bole fairly smooth but clearly showing the scars of the fallen leaves. Bark dark grey. Leaves 120 x 180 cm, fan shaped, in tufts at the ends of branches with the blade divided into segments about 60 cm long. Male and female flowers on separate trees. The inflorescence is similar in both sexes, up to 1.2 m long. Male flowers shortly stalked, solitary in pits of the spadix, spathe-bracts encircling the spadix, pointed. Branches of female spadices stouter, in the fruiting stage marked by densely tomentose cushions after the fall of the fruit. Fruits 6-10 x 6-8 cm, smooth, shiny brown when ripe

Description

Silty soils on wadi banks and sometimes on rocky hilly slopes

Habitat

Not browsed

Grazing Importance

Fruits are edible, leaves are source of fiber

Other Uses

Click here

References