Borassus aethiopum

Borassus aethiopum is a species of Borassus palm from Africa. In English, it is variously referred to as African fan palm, African palmyra palm, deleb palm, ron palm, toddy palm, black rhun palm, rônier palm (from the French). It is widespread across much of tropical Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to northern South Africa, though it is largely absent from the forested areas of Central Africa and desert regions such as the Sahara and Namib. This palm also grows in northwest Madagascar and the Comoros.

Description

A solitary fan palm. It grows up to 25 m tall. It has separate male and female trees. The trunk is bottle shaped and smooth. Older trees have a swelling on the trunk above the middle which helps distinguish it from Palmyra palm. The bark is grey. Young trees have leaf bases which cling to the tree. The leaf scars are prominent. The terminal crown is a cluster of fan-shaped leaves. The leaves are up to 4 m long including the leaf stalk. The leaf is divided about the middle into folded segments. The leaf stalks are black with hooked spines along the edges. The flower comes from between the leaf stalks. The male flower spike is 2 m long with branches which are 25 cm long by 4 cm across. The female flower spike is 1.5-3 m long and unbranched. There are 20-50 fruit. The fruit are round and about 15 cm across. They are green to orange. The base of the fruit are enclosed in 6-7 cup shaped bracts. The fruit contain 3 hard coated seeds. The individual fruit is about 1 kg weight and the seeds 100 g.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Leaves Oil Sap Seed Shoots Edible Uses: Drink Oil Sweetener Edible portion: Fruit, Cabbage, Sap, Seeds, Palm heart, Vegetable. Fruit - fresh or dried. Slightly sweet, but with a mild turpentine-like flavour. The fruits have a large, fibrous pulp, weighing around 500g each, that smells strongly of turpentine. They are consumed raw or cooked, preferably with rice. Eaten as a food supplement. Rich in oil. The ripe, fallen fruit are collected, peeled and the juicy pulp is squeezed in water to form a solution which is added to porridge during cooking in order to improve the flavour. The fruit is 15cm in diameter and is produced in large clusters. The immature seed contains a sweet juice which can be drunk like coconut water. As it matures, it solidifies becoming jelly-like and eventually solid. It can be eaten at all stages, the flavour gradually becoming more nut-like. Young seedlings - eaten as a vegetable like asparagus. Highly esteemed. The mature seeds can be buried in pits and allowed to germinate, and the shoots are said to be a delicacy. The tuberous portion of the first juvenile leaves are rich in starch - they make a highly prized vegetable. Apical bud and young leaves - raw or cooked. Eaten in salads, or used as a vegetable. Eating this bud leads to the eventual death of the plant since it is unable to produce side shoots. The sap is extracted from the stem. Rich in sugars, it can be made into a refreshing beverage, fermented to make palm wine (toddy) or vinegar, or the sugars can be extracted. The tip of the trunk is cut and excavated so that a bowl-shaped depression is made where sap accumulates. The sap is then collected and slightly fermented into a refreshing drink. Destructive harvesting is sometimes employed, where the cut is renewed twice every day for 3 - 4 weeks until the tree is exhausted and dies. Chemical composition: Protein (crude) = 2.8% (dry). Fat = 0.5% (dry). Ash (insoluble) = 3.5% (dry). Fibre (crude) = 16.8% (dry). Amino acids (g (16g N)-1): Aspartic acid = 9.3g. Threonine = 3.6g. Serine = 3.9g. Glutamic acid = 8.9g. Proline = 5.0g. Glycine = 5.0g. Alanine = 5.0g. Valine = 5.0g. Cysteine = 0.1g. Methionine = 1.2g. Isoleucine = 3.6g. Leucine = 6.1g. Tyrosine = 2.8g. Phenylalanine = 3.6g. Lysine = 3.9g. Histidine = 2.1g. Arginine = 2.4g. Minerals: Sulphur = 0.04% (dry). Potassium = 0.09% (dry). Magnesium = 0.10% (dry). Calcium = 0.08% (dry). Na = 0.01% (dry). Zinc = 4 mg/kg (dry). Iron = 488 mg/kg (dry). Manganese = 8 mg/kg (dry). Copper = 2 mg/kg (dry).

Traditional Uses

The sap from the fruit stalk makes a pleasant drink. The fruit are eaten either ripe or unripe. The juicy pulp of ripe fruit is added to porridge to improve flavour. The immature seed kernel is eaten. The seed sprouts are eaten cooked. The stems of young seedlings are eaten. The growing point or palm cabbage is edible. (This kills the palm!) The long fleshy "sinker" root from the seed is eaten as a vegetable.

Medicinal Uses

Anthelmintic Antiasthmatic Aphrodisiac Mouthwash The roots serve for the treatment of stomach parasites, bronchitis, sore throats and asthma, as well as being used for a mouthwash. The leaves are said to be an aphrodisiac. The sap is reported to have many uses.

Known Hazards

Destructive sap harvesting practices can kill the tree.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands and the highlands. It grows in the semi arid and sub humid tropics. It grows in the Sahel. Plants are often spread by elephants after the eat the fruit. It requires good sunlight. It cannot grow in waterlogged soils. It grows from sea level to 1850 m with temperatures of 18°C to 30°C. It is most common is areas with 500-1,200 mm rainfall but also grows in slightly higher rainfall areas. It can grow in arid places and savannah. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Where It Grows

Africa, Australia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia*, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 35c, but can tolerate 15 - 45c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 1,000mm, but tolerates 400 - 1,200mm. Requires a well drained soil and a position in full sun. It is usually found in sandy, well-drained soils, but prefers alluvial soils near watercourses. Plants are able to extract nutrients, and thus grow, on very nutrient-poor soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5. Established plants are drought tolerant. A slow-growing but long lived tree to over 100 years old. Three phases of growth are recognized. The first phase, taking around 6 - 8 years, involves leaf development, in which about 20 leaves grow in a wide crown around 3 metres by 3 metres. Very little upward growth takes place at this time. The second phase involves rapid growth of the trunk above the ground and takes place around the ages of 8 - 20 years. The bark of the tree is still rough at this stage and have many leaf stalks. The third phase, from about 20 years onwards, involves flowering and shedding of leafstalks. The trunk becomes smooth and swellings appear on it. The plant usually flowers and produces fruit all year round. The flowering stems are tapped for their sap, a process that starts when the tree is about 30 years old and can continue for another 30 years if managed carefully. Yields of 2 litres of sap per day can be achieved. Plants are very tolerant of forest fires. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required. A female palm can produce 20-50 fruits per flower stalk. Green to orange round fruit 15 cm across. Each fruit contain 3 hard coated seeds weighing 100g each. The individual fruit is about 1 kg.

Propagation

Seed - it has a short viability and should be sown as soon as it is removed from the fruit pulp. The seed does not require pre-treatment and germinated in about 4 weeks. The plant produces a very long taproot, which can be 1 metre long when top growth is only 1cm tall, and so it is best sown in situ.

Other Uses

Basketry Broom Charcoal Fencing Fibre Filter Fire retardant Fuel Furniture Oil Potash String Thatching Wood Other uses rating: Medium (3/5). Agroforestry Uses: The tree is used to form an excellent firebreak, especially in the arid regions of West Africa, which are prone to wildfires. Other Uses The leaves are used for various purposes including for shelter, thatch, making mats and baskets. Young leaves, before unfolding, can be split into strips and woven into thin mats, baskets and other household objects. Mature leaves are used for thatch. A fibre obtained from the leaves is used for making nets. The leaf petioles are used for making furniture, baskets, fences etc. The fibre extracted from the base of the leaf stalk has valuable qualities of resistance to chemicals, termites and water. The leafstalk endings can be soaked in water to provide fibres that are used as sponges or filters. The leaf midribs are used to make brooms, fish traps and nets. An oil is extracted from the fruit. Ashes from the male flowers make a good potash. The dark brown, coarsely fibrous wood is a highly prized timber locally. It is very solid, hard, heavy, very resistant to termites and fungi. It is difficult to saw, plane or sand; splits when nailed. Only the outer part of the stem, between the base and the first swelling, is suitable for use. This layer, which can be 7 - 10cm thick on male trees, but only 4 - 5cm on female trees, is used in carpentry, construction, for telegraph poles, piers, and also for household articles. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal. Special Uses Carbon Farming Food Forest

Production

Plants take about 10 years to become fully established. Plants are mainly pollinated by insects. A female palm can produce 20-50 fruits per flower stalk. Fruit can weigh 1 kg each. Fruit take 12-13 months to reach maturity. The fruit are sprouted by covering them in a pit and are ready to eat in 2 weeks. For palm wine tapping the terminal bud is cut and the sap collected. The cut is renewed twice a day for 3 to 4 weeks until the palm is exhausted and dies. It can yield 200-250 litres of sap. Fruit are collected after they fall.

Other Information

The fruit are popular. They are sold in local markets.

Notes

There are 7-10 Borassus species. Chemical composition: Protein (crude) = 2.8% (dry). Fat = 0.5% (dry). Ash (insoluble) = 3.5% (dry). Fibre (crude) = 16.8% (dry). Amino acids (g [16g N]-1): Aspartic acid = 9.3g. Threonine = 3.6g. Serine = 3.9g. Glutamic acid = 8.9g. Proline = 5.0g. Glycine = 5.0g. Alanine = 5.0g. Valine = 5.0g. Cysteine = 0.1g. Methionine = 1.2g. Isoleucine = 3.6g. Leucine = 6.1g. Tyrosine = 2.8g. Phenylalanine = 3.6g. Lysine = 3.9g. Histidine = 2.1g. Arginine = 2.4g. Minerals: Sulphur = 0.04% (dry). Potassium = 0.09% (dry). Magnesium = 0.10% (dry). Calcium = 0.08% (dry). Na = 0.01% (dry). Zinc = 4 mg/kg (dry). Iron = 488 mg/kg (dry). Manganese = 8 mg/kg (dry). Copper = 2 mg/kg (dry).

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Agbon, Agep, Akan, Akot, Akuugh, Arook, Bace, Ba di madibu, Ba di ndingi, Bam, Bazlawar, Berembe, Buane, Buar, Cibe, Cibedje, Cibo, Daleib, Deleb palm, Deleib, Delep, Difundi, Dimaka, Doubbi, Dubbem Dube, Dul, Dzova, Edukanait, Eduku, Edukudukut, Ekituugu, Euda, Gangami, Ginginya, Goha, Goworo-ijhacoongo, Kambili, Katungo, Kebala, Kpareeyu, Makoma, Mchapa, Mhama, Mkamu, Mtapa, Muhama, Mukae, Mukpiatimu, Mupama, Mvuma, Mvumo, N'bene, Ncora, Ng'hama, Opane, Ope-okunkun, Palmier-ronier, Ron, Rone, Ronier, Ruuk, Sabize, Sebe, Sibi, Sibo, Taam, Thuwa, Tugo, Tugu, Tuuk, Tuur, Umbena, Vumo, Zambaba, Zembaba

References (107)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 49
• ABDELMUTI,
• Agea, J. G., et al 2011, Wild and Semi-wild Food Plants of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom of Uganda: etc. Environmental Research Journal 5(2) 74-86
• Allen, D. J., 2007, Wildflowers and Common Trees of East Africa. Camerapix Publishers p 148
• Alyegba, S. S. et al, 2013, Ethnobotanical Survey of Edible Wild Plants in Tiv Communities of Benue State, Nigeria. Journal of Natural Sciences Research. Vol.3, No.7

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