About Elaeis guineensis Jacq.
Elaeis guineensis Jacq. is a monocotyledonous palm species. Mature individuals have a single stem and can grow up to 20 meters (66 ft) tall. Its leaves are pinnate, growing 3–5 meters (10–16 1/2 feet) long. Young palms produce approximately 30 new leaves each year, while established palms older than 10 years produce around 20 leaves annually. Flowers grow in dense clusters, and each individual flower is small, with three sepals and three petals. The palm's fruit takes 5 to 6 months to develop from pollination to full maturity. Ripe fruit are reddish, roughly the size of a large plum, and grow in large bunches. Each fruit consists of an oily, fleshy outer pericarp layer, plus a single oil-rich seed called the palm kernel. When fully ripe, a single fruit bunch weighs between 5 and 30 kg (11 and 66 lb), with weight varying based on the age of the palm tree. This species is almost entirely pollinated by insects rather than wind. The weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus is its most specialized pollination partner native to Africa. This weevil was intentionally introduced to Southeast Asia in 1981, and the introduction yielded dramatic, positive results. A 2013 study by Cik Mohd Rizuan et al. recorded good outcomes from the introduction at Felda Sahabat in Sabah. Contrary to earlier speculation, the introduced weevil population was not excessively inbred, and inbreeding depression is not the cause of occasional reduced fruit set observed in Southeast Asia. Other potential causes for reduced fruit set have been proposed. Nematodes can negatively affect both E. kamerunicus weevils and the pollination service they provide.
