Tropicals, Woody > Hyphaene > Hyphaene thebaica > Hyphaene thebaica
Hyphaene thebaica
Doum Palm, Gingerbread Tree
Origin: Native to the Arabian Peninsula and the northern half of Africa.
| Family |
| Arecaceae |
| Genus |
| Hyphaene |
| Species |
| thebaica |
| Category |
| Tropicals, Woody |
| Type |
| Tree (evergreen) |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| Requires cool season preotection under glass. |
| Height |
| 17 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| Landscape |
| Ornamental use and shade planting. |
| Cultivation |
| Full sun in well-drained and moist soil. |
| Shape |
| Upright, tall and branching. |
| Habitat |
| Wadis, oasis and rocky hillsides. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| The trunk can grow to be 90 cm wide. The branches have tufts of large leaves at the end of branches. |
| Leaf Description |
| The leaf stalks are 1 m long, shealthing the branch at the base and armed with stout upward-curving claws. The leaves are fan-shaped and are 120 cm wide and 180 cm long. |
| Flower Description |
| Male and female flowers are produced on separate trees. Inflorescences are similar in appearance, 1.2 m long, branching irregularly and with 2 - 3 spikes from each branchlet. |
| Fruit Description |
| Large, woody, oval fruit is produced on female trees containing a single seed that remains on the tree for extended periods. |
| Colour Description |
| The bark is a dark grey. The leaves are green, dark green and yellow. The fruit are orange. |
| Texture Description |
| The bark is smooth. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| The fruit is edible. |
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