Product Description

oil palm, (Elaeis guineensis), African tree in the palm family (Arecaceae ), cultivated as a source of oil. The oil palm is grown extensively in its native West and Central Africa, as well as in Malaysia and Indonesia. Palm oil, obtained from the fruits, is used in making soaps, cosmetics, candles, biofuels, and lubricating greases and in processing tinplate and coating iron plates. Palm kernel oil, from the seeds, is used in manufacturing such edible products as margarine, ice cream, chocolate confections, cookies, and bread, as well as many pharmaceuticals. The cake residue after kernel oil is extracted is a cattle feed. The plant is also grown as an ornamental in many subtropical areas.

The oil palm bears a single stem and reaches about *0 metres (*6 feet) in height. It has many tiny flowers crowded on short branches that develop into a large cluster of oval fruits some 4 cm (1.6 inches) long. When ripe, the fruits are black with a red base and feature a single oily seed known as the kernel.