Borassus akeassii

Two ripe fruits of Borassus akeassii

Borassus akeassii is a known for several decades, but only in 2006 described species of the genus Borassus. The Artepithet refers to the Ivorian botanist Laurent Ake Assi.

Description

It is a dioecious, up to 15 m tall palm with unbranched gray trunk on which the leaf scars are clearly visible. The palmate leaves are colored 1.5-3 m long and blue-green. The male inflorescences are up to 80 cm long, the female can reach 110 cm. B. akeassii differs from B. aethiopum, the other West African species of the genus, including through their dark green fruits.

Dissemination

Borassus akeassii is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and the Central African Republic.

Use

The use include the extraction of palm wine, the consumption of vegetables seedlings as well as the use of leaves for mats, fans, hats and other wattle.