The genus Hyphaene and its species
Hyphaene is represented by solitary or clustered, dwarf to large, sometimes prostrate palms, dioecious, pleonanthic, dichotomously branched or solitary; leaves costapalmate, green to green-bluish, induplicate, marcescent; leaf sheath with a longitudinal middle cleft; petiole margins armed with robust, triangular, reflexed or upward pointing black spines; inflorescences interfoliar, male and female relatively similar in morphology, the female inflorescence more robust; flowers unisexual; fruits variable in shape and in size, rarely spherical or ovoid, coloured variously from brown to orange when ripe, mesocarp fibrous, endocarp well developed, seeds 1-3.
The genus Hyphaene is composed by 8 species. Here we propose brief descriptions for all of them, as well as data on their ecology, distribution and uses, when known.
We are currently recognizing the following species within the genus Hyphaene:
H. compressa, H. coriacea, H. dichotoma, H. guineensis, H. macrosperma, H. petersiana, H. reptans and H. thebaica.
Synonyms associated to the genus Hyphaene
The following synonymy is based on the publication of Stauffer et al. (2014) on the palms of Tropical Africa and Henderson (2009, Palms of Southern Asia) with respect to Hyphaene dichotoma (J. White ex Dubl.) Furtado.
Borassus
Borassus dichotomus J. White ex Dubl. ≡ Hyphaene dichotoma
Chamaeripes
Chamaeriphes benguelensis (Welw. ex H. Wendl.) Kuntze = Hyphaene petersiana
compressa (H. Wendl.) Kuntze ≡ Hyphaene compressa
coriacea (Gaertn.) Kuntze ≡ Hyphaene coriacea
crinita (Gaertn.) Kuntze = Hyphaene thebaica
guineensis (Schumach. & Thonn.) Kuntze ≡ Hyphaene guineensis
macrosperma (H. Wendl.) Kuntze ≡ Hyphaene macrosperma
shatan (Bojer ex Dammer) Kuntze = Hyphaene coriacea
thebaica (L.) Kuntze = Hyphaene thebaica
turbinata (H. Wendl.) Kuntze = Hyphaene coriacea
ventricosa (J. Kirk) Kuntze = Hyphaene petersiana
Corypha
Corypha africana Lour. = Hyphaene coriacea
thebaica L. ≡ Hyphaene thebaica
Cucifera
Cucifera thebaica (L.) Delile ≡ Hyphaene thebaica
Douma
Douma thebaica (L.) Poir. ≡ Hyphaene thebaica
Hyphaene
Hyphaene argun Mart. ≡ Medemia argun
aurantiaca Dammer = Hyphaene petersiana
baikieana Furtado = Hyphaene thebaica
baronii Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
beccariana Furtado = Hyphaene coriacea
benadirensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
benguelensis Welw. ex H. Wendl. = Hyphaene petersiana
var. plagiocarpa (Dammer) Furtado = uncertain taxonomical identification
var. ventricosa (J.Kirk) Furtado = Hyphaene petersiana
bussei Dammer = Hyphaene petersiana
carinensis Chiov. ≡ Livistona carinensis
coriacea var. minor Drude = Hyphaene coriacea
crinita Gaertn. = Hyphaene thebaica
cuciphera Pers. = Hyphaene thebaica
dahomeensis Becc. = Hyphaene thebaica
dankaliensis Becc. = Hyphaene thebaica
depressa Becc. = Hyphaene guineensis
doreyi Furtado = Hyphaene guineensis
goetzei Dammer = Hyphaene petersiana
gossweileri Furtado = Hyphaene guineensis
hildebrandtii Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
incoje Furtado = Hyphaene compressa
indica Becc. = Hyphaene dichotoma
kilvaensis (Becc.) Furtado = Hyphaene compressa
luandensis Gossw. (nom. nud.) = Hyphaene guineensis
mangoides Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
mateba Becc. = Hyphaene guineensis
megacarpa Furtado = Hyphaene compressa
migiurtina Chiov. = Hyphaene reptans
multiformis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. ambigua Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. compressa (H. Wendl.) Becc. ≡ Hyphaene compressa
subsp. deformis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. diminuta Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. gibbosa Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. intermedia Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. kilvaensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. macrocarpa Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. mahengensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. manca Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. morogorensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. moshiensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. nasuta Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. obconica Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. obesa Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. odorata Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. panganensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. plagiosperma Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. rovumensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. semiplaena Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. stenosperma Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. subglobosa Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. tangatensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subsp. trigibba Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
subvar. lindiensis Becc. = Hyphaene compressa
natalensis Kuntze = Hyphaene coriacea
nephrocarpa Becc. = Hyphaene guineensis
nodularia Becc. = Hyphaene thebaica
oblonga Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
obovata Furtado = Hyphaene petersiana
occidentalis Becc. = Hyphaene thebaica
ovata Furtado = Hyphaene petersiana
parvula Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
pileata Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
plagiocarpa Dammer = Hyphaene petersiana
pleuropoda Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
pyrifera Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
var. arenicola Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
var. gosciaensis (Becc.) Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
var. margaritensis Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
santoana Furtado = Hyphaene thebaica
semiplaena (Becc.) Furtado = Hyphaene compressa
shatan Bojer ex Dammer = Hyphaene coriacea
sinaitica Furtado = Hyphaene thebaica
spaerulifera Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
var. gosciaensis Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
taprobanica Furtado = Hyphaene dichotoma
tetragonoides Furtado = Hyphaene coriacea
togoensis Dammer ex Becc. = Hyphaene thebaica
tuleyana Furtado = Hyphaene thebaica
turbinata H. Wendl. = Hyphaene coriacea
var. ansata Becc. = Hyphaene coriacea
ventricosa J.Kirk = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. ambolandensis Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. anisopleura Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. aurantiaca (Dammer) Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. benguelensis (Welw. ex H. Wendl.) Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. bussei (Dammer) Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. goetzei (Dammer) Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. petersiana (Klotzsch ex Mart.) Becc. ≡ Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. plagiocarpa (Dammer) Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. russisiensis Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
subsp. useguhensis Becc. = Hyphaene petersiana
welwitschii Furtado = Hyphaene guineensis
wendlandii Dammer = Hyphaene coriacea
Palma
Palma thebaica (L.) Jacq. ≡ Hyphaene thebaica