Aiphanes minima (Gaertn.) Burret

A single stemmed spiny palm. The trunk can be 8 m tall. It can be 13 cm across. The trunk has spines which point upwards. The leaves are feather-like. The leaves are 2 m long. There are about 40 leaflets. These are 50 cm long by 5 cm wide. The long narrow segments are irregular at the ends. There are black spines on both surfaces of the leaflets. They are bright green and glossy above and paler underneath. The outer edges are irregular. It has separate male and female flowers on the same plant. The flowers are cream and have a fragrance. The flowering stalk is a simple spike which hangs down. It is about 1 m long. There can be 1,700 fruit on a stalk. The fruit are round and red. They are about 1.5 cm across. The kernel is similar to a coconut and is thick, white and edible.

It is a tropical plant. They need organically rich soils. It grows in dense rainforests. It can grow in deep shade. It grows between 800-1700 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 10-11.

The fruit are eaten raw. They have little taste. The seeds are oily and edible. Sometimes the seeds are boiled to soften them.

Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate readily. Plants need protection from the sun when young.