Dypsis basilonga
(Jum. & H.Perrier) Beentje & J.Dransf.
Arecaceae
Neodypsis basilonga Jum. & H.Perrier
Common Name:
General Information
Dypsis basilongais a solitary stemmed evergreen palm growing 4- 6 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 12cm in diameter, topped by a crown of leaves.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.
This species has a small population, with fewer than 30 mature individuals known from the entire distribution range. Harvesting for its edible heart and collection of its seed for the horticultural trade are the main threats, but the habitat at one of the sites is also under pressure from expanding agricultural activities. The plant is classified as 'Critically Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
455- Title
- Flore de Madagascar et des Comores
- Publication
-
- Author
- Humbert H.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle; Paris
- Year
- 1946 - 1984
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Written in French, an excellent flora of the area though it has not been completed. Available for download from the Internet.
Range
Africa - eastern Madagascar.
Habitat
Flat topped mountains on gneiss rocks where moss is abundant, indicating high humidity levels. Found at elevations from 300 - 1,000 metres[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Properties
| Conservation Status | Critically Endangered |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 5.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
Leaves - cooked. The palm heart (apical bud) is reported to be an excellent vegetable[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. Harvesting this heart leads to the death of the plant since it is unable to produce side shoots[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Medicinal
The plant (parts not specified but probably the bark and/or the fruits) is used in the treatment of headaches, jaundice and hepatitis; and also as an aid to lactation[
547- Title
- Assessing Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Resources, Lokaro Reserve, SE Madagascar
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lehman A.D.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2009
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A thesis, in PDF format, by Ashley Davis Lehman of the University of Montana, Missoula, MT.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
