Common Name: African Fan Palm

General Information

Borassus aethiopum is a robust to massive, single-stemmed, evergreen palm with an unbranched stem that can ultimately reach 20 - 30 metres long by 40 - 50cm diameter, swollen at the base to 85cm, and in old age at about 50 years also swollen above the mid-point to about 80cm diameter[, ]. The large, fan shaped leaves are up to 4 metres long and 3 metres across, deeply divided into leaflets, and thorny at the base.[]
A very useful multipurpose tree that is widely utilized for food, medicine and a wide range of commodities[]. All parts of the tree are used[]. The fruits are often sold in local markets[]. The plant is also grown as an ornamental[].
The widespread usage of Borassus aethiopum, especially eating the bud and tapping the sap, has greatly reduced the numbers of these palms in their native habitat[]. As part of a conservation project, the palm is sometimes cultivated in Africa, as well as being grown in Panama, Brazil, India, Thailand, and Malaysia[]. Although The plant is locally facing over-exploitation for palm wine and several other localized threats, its overall extent of occurrence is large, and the species is found in 25 protected areas. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - semi-arid and sub-humid zones of Senegal to Somalia, south to northern S. Africa.

Habitat

Riverine flats and coastal plains; open secondary forest; dense forest borders; savannah in drier areas where it is restricted to grassland with high ground water table, or along water courses, often forming dense stands in temporary flooded areas[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of hot, tropical climates with low to medium rainfall, usually at elevations below 400 metres, but up to 1,200 metres in east Africa[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 35°c, but can tolerate 15 - 45°c[]. 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. Tapping is sometimes carried on continuously until the tree dies, though if the tree is allowed to rest for two years between tappings the process can continue for another 30 years ior more. 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.

Edible Uses

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[].

Medicinal

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[].

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[, ].

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[].

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