Hyphaene
(from hyphaino, to entwine; alluding to the fibres of the fruit). Doom, Doum, or Gingerbread Palm. ORD. Palmoe. A genus of about, nine species of fan-leaved stove palms, natives of tropical Africa, Arabia, and the Mascarene Islands. Flowers dioecious; males in twos, females solitary. Leaves terminal, orbicular, or nearly so, with sword-shaped acute or bifid segments. Stems unarmed, tall or of medium height, simple or dichotomously branched. Probably the only species in cultivation is H. thebaica, a plant which is difficult to cultivate. It thrives best in rich sandy loam, and may be increased by imported seeds.
H. thebaica (Theban). l. large, fan-shaped, in a terminal tuft, whence arises the branched inflorescence. Stem branched, each branch ending in a tuft of leaves. h. 40ft. Upper Egypt and Nubia, 1828. The wood of this tree is extremely hard, and is employed in the manufacture of various domestic utensils. (F. d. s. 2152-3.)