Doum Palm

Scientific name: Hyphaene indica

POWO Status: Tree

IUCN Red List threat level: Near Threatened

GPS Location: 17° 42′ 54.74″ N, 64° 49′ 46.77″ W

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Observations:

Phenological Markers – Hyphaene indica (East African Doum Palm)

Family: Arecaceae (Palm family)
Common Names: Doum Palm, East African Gingerbread Palm, Sea Coconut, Borassus de Mer (in older references)
Habitat: Native to eastern Africa, including coastal Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, and also found on Madagascar. Typically grows in coastal scrub, dry forests, and near rivers and estuaries, often in sandy soils.

Phenological Markers:

  • Flowering Period:
    Typically flowers from late spring through early summer (April to July). Like other Hyphaene species, dioecious (male and female flowers occur on separate trees). Flowers are small, cream to yellowish, borne on large, branched inflorescences.
  • Fruiting Period:
    Fruits take many months to mature, usually ripening 8–10 months after flowering, with a peak from January to March. The fruit is a large, woody, brown drupe, resembling a small coconut, containing a hard, edible seed (sometimes called “gingerbread fruit”).
  • Leaf Fall:
    Evergreen, but older fronds die and hang down or fall naturally throughout the year. Dead fronds often form a “skirt” unless pruned.
  • Budding Period:
    New fronds appear continuously, with increased growth at the onset of the rainy season (March–May).

Key Features:

  • Leaves: Large, fan-shaped (palmate), blue-green to gray-green in color, stiff and deeply divided.
  • Trunk: Typically forked (dichotomously branching), a distinctive trait of Hyphaene palms. Trunks are stout and may reach 12–15 meters in height.
  • Flowers: Male flowers are borne in catkin-like structures; female flowers are larger and spaced farther apart on the inflorescence.
  • Fruits: Large, round to oval, woody drupes (~6–10 cm), edible when young, with a sweet, fibrous interior.

Additional Notes:

Well-suited to dry, coastal environments, it is tolerant of salinity and seasonal drought, making it a good candidate for coastal restoration and botanical collections in the Caribbean.

Hyphaene indica is a rarely cultivated but highly distinctive palm, especially valued for its branching habit and edible fruit.

The tree has cultural and nutritional importance in its native range, where the fruit and inner stem are consumed.

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