Characteristics
A palm with a swollen trunk. It grows 25 m tall. The trunk is 30 cm across. It bulges about the mid point and narrows near the crown. The trunk is deep grey and has closely set dark rings of leaf base scars. These become less distinct with age. The leaf crown is 5 m wide. The crown-shaft is 60 cm long. It tapers from the base to the tip. The leaves are stiff and upright and silvery grey. They are 3.3-4 m long. They arch over and are feathery. The leaf stalks are 30-60 cm long and silvery white. All parts of the tree have a thin layer of whitish wax. The fruit clusters hang down among the leaves. They hang close to the trunk. They are bright red when ripe. The fruit are covered with a layer of wax when mature. They are edible.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
tree
|
| Growth support |
free-standing
|
| Foliage retention |
evergreen
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
0.3
|
| Mature height (meter) |
16.0 - 16.5
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
c3
|
Environment
It is a tropical plant. It grows on limestone foothills. It grows in regions with low rainfall. It suits seasonally moist and dry climates. It is hardy. It suits plant hardiness zones 10-11.
| Light |
|
| Soil humidity |
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The plant has been used to make palm wine. The trunk is cut and the sugary sap squeezed out and then fermented.
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate and grow very slowly.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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