Scientific name: Hyphaene thebaica
Family: Arecaceae
Common English names: African doum palm, gingerbread tree, and
Egyptian palm
Common Arabic name: Balah Abu Jahl
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Scientific name: Hyphaene thebaica |
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The Legendry Doum Palm!
Native to the Nile region in Africa. The ancient Egyptians buried large
numbers of this species fruits, which was an important staple food for them
in the tombs of their pharaohs. Among all palms, this is on the most easily
recognized; it is one of the few that fork or branch. The edible fruits,
that are as big as an apple, taste like gingerbread. Inside the fruits is
a very sweet juice. The leaves are used for making baskets and the white
seeds for buttons (See Palms
with development potential). The large seeds germinate easily,
but need to be put in a large pot because it has an extensive root system.
It is suitable for warm climates and extremely drought tolerant. Wadi Araba
is considered the most northern limit in the world for its distribution.
It was reported to be widely spread in Jordan during the last century, however
it's presence now is limited to only three sites in Aqaba area. |
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