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The Real fan palm (''Hyphaene petersiana''), locally known as the Makalani palm, is a palm tree native to the subtropical, low-lying regions of south central Africa. Its habitat is open woodland, flood plains, banks of rivers and the fringes of pans and swamps. It is found in Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa (Cape Province and Transvaal).〔(Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, ''Hyphaene petersiana'' )〕 As with other ''Hyphaene'' species, ''H. petersiana'' is dioicous and the female plants produce copious fruit. Up to 2,000 fruit may be found on a tree, the combined yield of about four seasons. The seeds germinate with difficulty but find saline conditions beneficial.〔 They develop massive tap-roots which draw saline water deep underground.〔 Though slow-growing,〔 they may attain a maximum height of 18m. Typical adult plants are in the order of 5-7m high. The plants are utilized by humans and animals. Repeated cutting of the growth point to obtain sap for palm wine production may eventually destroy the trees.〔 The stem pith is edible and the young fruit contain limited amounts of liquid comparable to coconut milk.〔 The Ovambo people call the fruit of the Makalani palm ''eendunga'' and use it to distill ''ombike'', their traditional liquor. The species is similar to ''H. natalensis'', which occurs to the southeast. It is however distinguishable by the shape of the fruit–round rather than pear-shaped–and the shape of the stem, which regularly bulges out below the foliage. ''B. aethiopum'' has a comparable stem shape.〔(Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von. 1845. Historia Naturalis Palmarum 3: 227, ''Hyphaene Petersiana'' )〕〔Kirk, James Tiberius. 1866. Journal of the Linnean Society. Botany. London, 9: 235, ''Hyphaene ventricosa''〕 African palm swifts〔 and rufous-tailed palm-thrushes regionally depend on this species for breeding. ==See also== * Fan palm 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hyphaene petersiana」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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