Doum palm
Hyphaene thebaica
A branching palm of desert oases; the hard fruit tastes of gingerbread when ground.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 50 ft tall, 20 ft wide
Harvest: year-round
From: Nile valley, Sahel and Arabia
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, wildlife.
Native to: Sahara & Arabian deserts, African savannas & tropics. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.
The story
The doum palm's gingerbread-flavoured fruit was found in Tutankhamun's tomb and is still sold along the Nile and across the Sahel, chewed fresh or steeped into a drink; the leaves are woven into mats and the trunk forks, unlike most palms.
Planting
Full sun, sand, heat, and a water table within reach of deep roots; no frost. Plant seed in place; it is very slow.
Growing
Water young palms deeply and rarely; mature ones find water themselves. No care.
Harvest and use
Fruit ripens brown and falls over the dry season; the thin fibrous flesh is chewed or ground. The soft young seed is eaten too.
What to watch for
Cold and waterlogging.
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More tropical and subtropical food plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home