Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Balanites aegyptiaca - Desert Date

Edible portion : Fruit, Seeds, Shoots, Flowers, Oil, Leaves, Resin, Gum, Nectar,

A small evergreen tree. It grows up to 6-15 m high. It is spiny. It produces a rounded crown of tangled thorny branches. The bark is dark brown or grey and has patterns on it. It becomes corky and cracked with age. The branches are stiff and brittle. The branches have stout spines. They are single and 8 cm long. The thorns are soft at first then become woody. The leaves occur as distinctive pairs of grey-green leaflets. The leaves are 2.5-6 cm long by 1.5-4 cm wide. The leaves are slightly different shape in each half. They are leathery and slightly hairy. There are 4-6 prominent veins which are clearly seen on the under side of the leaf. The flowers are in clusters, small and hairy. They are 1.4 cm across. They are yellow-green and have a sweet smell. The fruit is yellowish-green and 5 cm long by 2.5 cm wide. The fruit are date like. Both ends of the fruit are rounded. There is a hard pointy seed about 4 cm long by 2 cm wide. The flesh around the seed is yellow and bittersweet. The seed is easily separated from the flesh.

A tropical plant. It is found all over Africa. It grows in the lowlands. It occurs from arid to sub-humid areas. It suits hot dry areas. It grows in the Sahel. It grows from sea level to 2,000 m altitude. It prefers valley soils but will grow on a range of soils. It suits a rainfall of 200-800 mm. It can grow in arid places. It needs a mean average temperature of 20-30°C. It grows in Miombo woodland in Africa.