African Fan Palm (Borassus aethiopum)

Family: Arecaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Borassus aethiopium, otherwise known as African Fan Palm, Borassus Palm, or African Palmyra Palm, is a bottle shaped and smooth palm that can reach up to 25 m high when fully matured. It is named as such due to its crown composed of cluster of fan-shaped leaves. It is a dioecious species. The leaves are reportedly aphrodisiac and roots are used as mouthwash and against stomach parasites, bronchitis, sore throats and asthma.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Sap/Syrup

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet, but with a mild turpentine-like flavour. — Edible portion: Fruit, Cabbage, Sap, Seeds, Palm heart, Vegetable.; Fruit - fresh or dried.; Slightly sweet, but with a mild turpentine-like flavour.; The fruits have a large, fibrous pulp, weighing around 500g each, that smells strongly of turpentine.

Habitat & North American Range

Riverine flats and coastal plains; open secondary forest; dense forest borders; savannah in drier areas where it is restricted to grassland with high ground water table, or along water courses, often forming dense stands in temporary flooded areas. (Zone 10)