THARANGA 2017
Classification of Oil Palm
Class :Liliopsida
Monocotyledons
Family :Arecaceae Palm family
Species :Elaeis guineensis Jacq. African oil palm
General introduction of Oil Palm
Oil palm is belongs to family Arecaceae (Palm family) and was originated in the tropical rain
forest region of West Africa. It grows in natural and semi-wild or under cultivation
throughout most of the tropical countries between the latitudes 15 o N to 15 o S. Oil palm is
indigenous to Africa, expands large number of countries in the west coastal part of Africa in a
belt width of 50 -500 km from Senegal to Angola and it further expands in to central African
countries along the Congo river. In the beginning of early 19 th century oil palm is cultivated
on a large scale in South East Asian countries such as Indonesia (1911) and Malaysia (1917).
Thereafter was spread into various parts of African countries and Latin America, South Asia
including Sri Lanka (1968).
Plant
Mature palms are single-stemmed and grow up to 20m or more depends on the soil
conditions. The leavers are pinnate and each leaf (frond) reaches between 3- 5 m in length
and 8 year old mature tree produces 20 24 fronds per year. Oil palm is a monoecious plant
as it bears both female and male flowers in the same tree. Each palm produces compact
bunches weighing 10 30 kg and some times more than 40 kg. Each bunches were with
1000-3000 fruits. In cultivated varieties unripe fruit- lets in a bunch are dark purple or almost
black in colour and the colour turns to orange red when it rips.
Oil palm is identified as one of the few palms produces commercial scale oil from both the
mesocarp and the seed kernel. It is identified as highest oil producing crop in the world.
Oil/bunch is about 21-23 %.
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