Palms   Elaeis guineensis

Synonymy: Elaeis melanococca Common Names: African oil palm, Obe palm (local name) Distribution & Habitat: It occurs in riverine forests and freshwater swamps from Guinea to the Senegal River, south to Angola and east to the Alberto Lake. Distinct populations are also found in Madagascar. Description: A large solitary pinnate palm to almost 20m tall, with irregularly spaced leaflets. Produces large bunches of bright red fruit. General: Used for the commercial production of high quality palm oil, which comes from the seed kernel. Plantations of this palm now cover vast areas of Malaysia, which has become the worlds leading producer of this oil. Culture: Sunny, moist, but well drained position in fertile soil. Requires at least warm sub-tropical conditions. Only produces commercially viable quantities of oil within 8° either side of the Equator.

Figure 1. E. guineensis seed bunch (@50cm/18ins long).

Figure 2. E. guineensis

Contributed by:	Mike Gray (Figure 1)
	Kyle Wicomb (Figure 2)

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