Common Name: Desert Date

General Information

Desert date is a slow growing, evergreen or semideciduous, multi-branched, spiny shrub or tree with a spherical crown; it can grow up to 10 metres or more tall[, ]. It has a remarkably fluted bole that can be 30cm in diameter, and long, straight, green spines arranged spirally along the branches[, ].
An important and very useful multipurpose tree, it is valued for its edible fruit, leaves and flowers and many other uses, being cultivated in several parts of Africa and in a few other places in the tropics[, ].

Known Hazards

The plant contains saponins[]. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[].

Botanical References

Range

Africa - most of the drier areas except the far south, extending to Arabia.

Habitat

Found in a variety of habitats, growing best in low-lying, level alluvial sites with deep sandy loam and uninterrupted access to water such as valley floors, riverbanks or the foot of rocky slopes[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the arid and sub-arid tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 2,300 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 35°c, but can tolerate 15 - 41°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 300 - 800mm, but tolerates 200 - 1,700mm[]. Dislikes humid climates[].
Grows best in deep sands, sandy clay loams, sandy loams or clays[]. Plants are intolerant of shade after they pass the seedling stage[]. Prefers a pH in the range 7 - 8, tolerating 6.5 - 8.5[].
The plant can become a weed[].
A slow-growing tree, reaching a height of 1 - 3 metres after 3 years; 2 - 5 metres after 8 years[].
Fruiting commences when plants are about 5 - 8 years old, the yield increasing until they are around 25 years old[]. The fruit apparently takes at least 1 year to mature and ripen[].
Desert date coppices and pollards well, and can regenerate after lopping and heavy browsing.
The fruit is in high demand as a food, which gives it high economic value; therefore, little fruit and thus few seeds are left for natural regeneration of the species[].
Fruiting and foliage production usually occur at the height of the dry season, though this can vary[].
The tree withstands grass fires[].

Edible Uses

The fleshy pulp of both unripe and ripe fruit is edible and can be eaten dried or fresh[, ]. It has a slightly astringent taste and can be purgative in larger quantities[]. The fruit is processed into a drink and sweetmeats in Ghana, an alcoholic liquor in Nigeria, a soup ingredient in Sudan[]. The ellipsoid fruit is up to 4cm long[]. Brown or pale brown when fully ripe, with a brittle coat enclosing a brown or brown-green sticky pulp and a hard stone seed[].

Young leaves and tender shoots are used as a vegetable[, ]. They are prepared by boiling and pounding, and are then fried or mixed with fat[].

The flowers are a supplementary food in West Africa and an ingredient of ‘dawa dawa’ flavouring in Nigeria[]. They are sucked in order to obtain their nectar[].

A greenish-yellow to orange-red resin is produced from the stems. It is sucked and chewed when fresh[].

The kernels produce an edible oil used for cooking[]. The oil remains stable when heated and has a high smoking point, and therefore its free fatty acid content is low[]. Its scent and taste are acceptable[]. The seed contains up to 50% oil[].

Medicinal

The roots are purgative and vermifuge[]. A decoction of the root is used to treat malaria[]. The roots are boiled in a soup to be used in the treatment of oedema and stomach pains[]. They are also used as an emetic[].

The bark is purgative and vermifuge[]. An infusion of the bark is used to treat heartburn[]. The bark is used to deworm cattle in Rajasthan[].

Wood gum, mixed with maize meal porridge, is used to treat chest pains[].

The plant is a potential source of steroidal sapogenins (diosgenin) for the hemisynthesis of corticosteroids[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The usually evergreen behaviour potentially makes this plant an attractive element to introduce into shelterbelts, although because of its slow growth, it is not suitable as a principal species[].
Its thorny habit makes this tree a useful plant for fencing and hedging[, ].

Other Uses

An oil obtained from the seed has been recommended for the manufacture of soap[].

A strong fibre is obtained from the bark[, ].

A greenish-yellow to orange-red resin is produced from the stems. It is used as a glue for sticking feathers onto arrow shafts and spearheads and in the repair of handle cracks and arrows[].

The fruit and bark contain saponins[]. An emulsion made from them is lethal to the freshwater snails that are the host of miracidia and cercaria stages of bilharzia and to a water flea that acts as a host to the guinea worm[].

The seeds are used for rosary beads and necklaces[].

The pale yellow or yellowish-brown wood is fine-grained, compact, hard, durable and easily worked[, ]. The heartwood and sapwood are not clearly differentiated[]. It shows no serious seasoning defects and no tendency towards surface checking or splitting[]. The wood saws cleanly and easily, planes without difficulty to a smooth finish and is easy to chisel. It glues firmly and takes a clear varnish[]. The timber has traditionally been a minor product, it is made into yokes, wooden spoons, pestles, mortars, handles, stools and combs[]. The usually small log size and the prevalence of stem fluting makes sawmill processing difficult[].
The wood is good firewood; it produces considerable heat and very little smoke, making it particularly suitable for indoor use[]. It produces high-quality charcoal, and it has been suggested that the nutshell is suitable for industrial activated charcoal[]. The calorific value is estimated at 4600 kcal/kg[].

Propagation

Seeds may be collected from fruit that is being processed for other purposes, from dung, and directly from the trees. Soaking in water for some hours and then stirring vigorously separates the stones from the pulp. Seed germination can be improved by immersing the seeds in boiling water for 7 - 10 minutes then cooling then slowly. The effect that passage through an animal’s intestinal tract has on germination is unclear. However, seeds are said to germinate readily, although with some difference associated with date of collection[].
Seed storage behaviour is orthodox; viability can be maintained for 2 years in air-dry storage at cool temperatures or for several years in hermetic storage at 3°c with 6 - 10% mc[].
Root suckers. Produced abundantly[].

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