Hyphaene compressa H.Wendl.

Massive tree palm eventually reaching heights of up to 20 m.. Trunk solitary and erect, or apparently forking below ground and giving a group of 2–4 curving trunks of about the same size, sometimes with clusters of young shoots below, these most probably representing seedlings; trunk about 40 cm. in diameter at the base, decreasing to about 30 cm. just below the first dichotomy and decreasing further at each successive dichotomy to about 20 cm. below the ultimate crowns; the dichotomies in well-grown mature individuals 4–5 in number, giving 16–32 crowns, rarely 6 with 64 crowns, exceptionally branched once only or unbranched; trunk surface grey with close nodes ± 2 cm. apart, cracked vertically.. Leaves, unless disturbed, long persisting as a tangled spiny skirt covering the trunk, usually burnt off leaving the trunk clean; ± 15 green living leaves in each crown; leaf base sheathing, split centrally to form a triangular cleft ± 50 cm. long; petiole from 80 cm. long in exposed leaves to 1.25 m. in juvenile plants, to 3.5 cm. wide, semicircular in cross-section, yellowish in colour, except at edges where black, and a central black line abaxially, armed with fierce distally pointing black spines to 2 cm. long, 6 mm. wide, much smaller in juvenile leaves; lamina strongly costapalmate, the costa sometimes twisted, to 80 cm. long, with a spread of ± 1.25 m., generally folded along the costa, divided to about 2/3 the radius into ± 30 segments on each side of the costa, the segments further divided to about 1/3; hastula black, irregular, or rarely symmetrical, usually lop-sided, 3–4 mm. high, with a ragged crest of hairs; segments stiff, up to 4 cm. wide proximally, tapering gradually to the 2 pointed tips, glaucous green with yellowish ribs; dark green inter-leaflet filaments prominent; black scales abundant, scattered over the lamina surface; fluffy pale brown scales present on ribs of young leaves.. Male inflorescence arcuate to 1.5 m. long, 5 × 3 cm. in diameter at the base; peduncular bracts about 25 cm. long, covered in buff brown hairs and dark scales; partial inflorescences up to 10, each with 1–3(–5) rachillae held horizontally; axis of first order branch ± 25 cm. long by 1.5 cm. wide; rachillae ± 25 cm. long by 1 cm. in diameter; bracts on rachillae with an area ± 4 mm. wide by 1 mm. high exposed, greeny brown; pit hairs dull buff brown.. Male flowers with pedicel ± 1 mm. long; sepals 1.5 × 0.5 mm.; petals rounded, ± 2 mm. long, pale green; stamens bright canary yellow, filaments ± 1.5 mm. long, anthers rounded, ± 0.5 mm. long; no detectable scent.. Female inflorescence as the ♂ but rachillae usually solitary, sometimes paired, rarely in threes, to 25 cm. long by 1.5 cm. in diameter; pit ± 10 mm. wide by 8 mm. long at anthesis, densely filled with pale brown hairs; pedicel ± 5 mm. long, lengthening to over 10 mm. long at fruit maturity, ± 6 mm. in diameter, including the densely packed hairs; sepals and petals ± 5 mm. long by 7 mm. wide, bluntly triangular, bright green; ovary ± 5 mm. in diameter, pinkish brown or pale straw-coloured; stigma nectariferous.. Young fruit dull maroon-brown to straw-coloured with greenish-cream pits, often with a waxy bloom. Mature fruit rich orangey brown to deep chestnut, rarely pale golden brown, extremely variable in shape and size from (6–)7–10(–12) cm. high by (4–)5–8(–9) cm. wide at the widest point, varying from almost cylindrical to oblong, obovoid, or sometimes much deformed, almost always with 2 distinctly compressed, flattened or sunken lateral faces; epicarp dimpled with conspicuous pock-marks, moderately shiny, flecked with sinuous pock markings, tough except on very old rotted fruit; mesocarp pale golden brown, usually richly aromatic (like ginger-bread) in ripe fruit, to 1 cm. or more thick; pyrene generally rather oblong to obovoid with 2 flattened faces; endocarp ± 4–8 mm. thick at equator and ± 10 mm. thick round the terminal pore; pore 10–13 mm. in diameter; endosperm ± 7 mm. thick.. Fig.3/5–8.

A tropical plant. It grows on the coast and extends inland along streams and rivers. It grows to 1500 m altitude in East Africa. They need full sun. They can grow on poor soils and survive in drier climates. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall of 200-900 mm. It is salt tolerant. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 10-11.

The pulp of the ripe fruit is eaten raw. The juice of young fruit is drunk. It is also used for making beer. The outer coat of the fruit is removed from the seed and dried, ground, mixed with blood and eaten. The kernel from inside the nut is eaten. The young germinating seedling is dug up and the embryo eaten.

Plants are grown from seeds. The pulp is removed. Seeds are slow to germinate and can be improved by breaking the hard seed coat. They should be planted in deep moist sand.