SCIENTIFIC NAME: Elaeis guineensis

COMMON NAME(S): African oil palm
SUB FAMILY: Arecoideae
TRIBE: Cocoeae
ORIGIN: Africa
HARDINESS ZONES: 10B-11 (severely damaged or killed at 26 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 35' (but capable of reaching over 50')
GROWTH RATE: Moderate
HABIT: Solitary; canopy of 40-50 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: Moderate
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: Moderate
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: High
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Specimen tree
HUMAN HAZARDS: Spiny
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: Various commercial varieties selected for oil characteristics

COMMENTS: The African oil palm is, after the coconut, the most important commercially exploited palm species. Commercial oils are extracted from both the fruit ('palm oil') and the seed ('palm kernel oil'). The oils are widely used for industrial as well as culinary purposes. Large plantations of this species are found throughout the tropics. While well adapted to warm, humid climates worldwide, the robust size of the African oil palm limits its usefulness as a landscape palm. It is probably most appropriate for avenue and park plantings where its stately crown can be used to good advantage. Trees begin to bear fruit in about five years, which is held in very dense clusters of up to several hundred. The largest leaves (which appear every 2-3 weeks on established, well-growing trees) last for over 3 years. African oil palms adapt to poorly drained soils and will tolerate flooding for short periods. Other species: E. oleifera: this Central and South American oil palm is smaller than the African (to about 15'). The thick trunk creeps along the ground, rooting on its underside, for a number of years before turning upward.