By Toromade Tope Adekanye
In the Kingdom of trees and vegetables, palm trees have long secured their place in history, having been mentioned multiple times in both the Bible and the Koran. In the Christian faith, Jesus was greeted by a path of fronds as he entered Jerusalem on what is known as Palm Sunday. In this instance, the palm symbolized victory, Muslims regard the date palm as the tree of life, as its root can be traced back more than 5000 years. The traditionalist most especially in Africa Yoruba religion, palm fronds are used to recognized a sacred shrine of gods, for example, Ogun ( god of iron). However, this paper is presenting oil palm tree in the realm of its significant as it is a valuable plant from its leaves/fronds to the roots.
Human use of oil palms may date as far back as 5000 years. In the late 1800s. A archaeologist discovered palm oil in a tomb at Abydos dating back to 3000 BCE. It is believed that Arab traders brought the oil palm to Egypt. The oil palm, (Elaeis guineensis) is one of the main sources of vegetable oil. Two distinct oil types-the palm oil (mesocarp oil) and the kernel oil (the seed oil) are obtainable from the oil palm tree. The oil palm belong to the family palmae. The family contains about 225 genera with over 2600 species.
Elaeis guineensis grows to a height of 9m or more with a shout stem, covered with semi persistent leaf bases on which epiphytes often grow. It is monocotyledonous and monecious plant. The stem may be 30 -38cm in diameter, with progressive thickening towards the base. The stem is punctualised with conspicuous and regularly arranged leaf scars and the stem terminates in a handsome growth of leaves (fronds) the crown may contain up to 40 or more leaves. The palm leaf is compound and is known as the palm frond.
Oil palm grows in almost all types of soils, oil palm are seen with more pragmatic eye in terms of the employment and necessities of life that they can provide in the tropical area most especially African continent.
Three types of Oil palm
The Dura type (DD) –thin mesocarp, thick endocarp (shell) with large kernel. Tenera type (Dd) –thick mesocarp, thin endocarp with reasonably sized kernel Pisifera type (dd)- possesses thick mesocarp (with very little oil content) no endocarp (shell-less) with small kernel.
Environment/Propagation
Oil palm belongs to the warm, high rainfall tropical forest areas. It grows best where rainfall is not loss than 1500mm, evenly distributed throughout the year.Oil palm is propagated by seed, recently seeds issued to formers for planting are derived from the pollination of Dura and pisifere palms which give 100 percent Tenera type (thin shelled), dual purpose palms. It takes about four years for oil palars to produce fruits surface for harvest. Each tree continue to produce fruit for up to 30 years.
COMPONENTS OF OIL PALM TREE
Oil palm trees are the most beneficial plants in tropical countries because of their wide geographical distribution and many uses. In this wise they are materials from which to construct different objects or a source of food or medicine. Palm oil tree from the fronds to the root are useful.- Palm fronds:- These are often refer to as the young leaves of the palm tree. They grow up to become palm leaves.
– Palm male flower:- The young oil palm produces male flowers at the base of each leaf for several mouths and later produces female flowers. The male flowers fertilize the female flowers through cross-pollination with the aid of pollination agents (wind and insects) which shall thereafter turn into a cluster of fruits.
– Palm trunk:- The oil palm has no branches it has a trunk and leaves. Trunk is the stem of the palm, at the tip of the stem there is one bud-this is the growing point which make oil palm live and grow if the growing point dies, the tree dies as well.
– Palm pod (Spikelets):- This is the clusters of palm oil fruits it contains cereal kernels which are used in producing palm oil, PKC, PKO, Kernel oil (Adin Ayan) etc.
– Palm root:- This is dark warm – like use for the preparation of concoction.
USEFULNESS OF OIL PALM TREE
Oil palm tree is a plant with many uses and highly significant in the family of plants. Oil Palm tree is of great value from its frond to the root.
Palm frond is used for the making of hats, door mats, shade (over houses, market stores and tents). The Christians used it as a symbol of triumph praise and victory during Easter period (Palm Sunday) celebrating triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In the Nigerian traditional religion, Palm frond is called “mariwo” in Yorubaland, “Omu” in Igbo and are used to sacralize and restrain.
Palm fronds are usually refers to the leaves of the palm tree. From them brooms, Rattan Furniture’s (chairs and tables), tapper’s rope, basket and Chicken cages (Ago Adiye) are made
Moreover, palm male flowers (“Aron ope” in Yoruba) are for cross- pollinate and fertilize the female flowers. Palm wine is tapped through it. It is also used to chase away lice from the chicken.
Palm trunk is cut into planks for roofing and at times the whole trunk is used as house pillar. Concoction is also prepared out of palm trunk & Palm root.
Palm pods: The most important usefulness of oil palm tree is derive from palm pod (Spikelets). A pod is a cluster of reddish-orange fruits a palm tree may here 10 to 15 fruits clusters, each of which consists of about 200 fruits. The clusters are cut from the trees and taken by truck to a mill, where they are sterilized and separated into the individual fruits. A machine called a digester coverts the fruit into a mash, which is crushed to obtain crude palm oil. The crude oil is then dehydrated, cleaned and refined.
In traditional way, after separating fruits, they will be cooked to mash and crushed with both legs to obtain crude palm oil which will later re-cooked and extract cleaned oil.
Palm oil made from the fruit of the oil palm tree, is one of the most widely used vegetable oil in the world for cooking and lubricant. Palm oil is used in making a variety of products, including ice cream, cooking oil, margarine, soap, shoe polish, surf board wax, Dental floss and biodiesel (vegetable oil) for diesel engines Biodiesel fuel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids e.g. vegetable oil and animal fat. The fruit of the oil palm consist of the following parts:
Pulp: The pulp is reddish – orange, when the pulp is crushed it yields palm oil
Seed: The pulp covers the seed, inside the shell of the seed is the kernel, when the Kernel is crushed, it yields palm Kernel oil.
At the mill, where the fruits from the palm oil plantation are converted into end product, after removing oil from the pulp, the remaining substance is fibre which is hitherto added to the sludge to produce “Oguso”. Fiber are also used to produce steam for the sterilizer. The refined sludges give the material for shoe polish, wax greese and soap. Pulp is used for biodiesel for motor vehicles, shopping and aircraft fuel.
The seed contains the shell and the nut, kernel nut are crushed to obtain palm kernel oil (PKO) the remaining is Palm Kernel Cake (PKC). PKO is used from the production of soap cosmetics and cream while animals like pig, cattle’s, sheep, cow, fowl feed on PKC. In addition, fried kernels produces palm kernel greese (Adin eyan) which are used for concoctions, greese and it cures diseases and rashes on human body and animals. Palm kernel shells are used as carpet or rug in the olden days, they are used to aid fire. In the art and craft industries, Palm kernel shells are used to make decorations. More also, beads are made from palm kernel shell.
The place of Palm oil tree in the facets of life.
ECONOMIC VALUE
Oil Palm tree is referred to as the tree of wealth. It is planted in tropical countries. With the fact that many products can be generated out of palm tree, the level of its economic importance is aggravated. In 1900’s oil palm were planted in parts of Africa including Nigeria. In 1960’s.
Indonesia and Malaysia converted rubber plantation to oil palm plantation. Today, Malaysia is the world’s leading palm oil producer. In the 1960’s Nigeria generated much of her revenue from oil palm, cocoa, coffee and Kola nut and rubber. Biodiesel from Palm oil for diesel engines and bead making from kernel shell also generate revenue.
SOCIO-CULTURAL/RELIGIOUS VALUE
The palm frond is very significant traditionally. Palm frond is seen as a sign of sacred to all the shrines and refrain people’s behaviour. In traditional religion setting, any place where palm fronds are tied signifies sacred. Most of the masquerades do attach palm frond to their costumes. Palm frond is also synonymous to Ogun (god of iron), it was recorded to have being Ogun clothe. If a corpse is to be transported on a vehicle from one place to the other, palm frond is attached to the vehicle for easy movement. If it is tied to the entrance of a farm or house it means don’t touch or enter, failure to adhere to this you bear the consequence/repercussion. Palm Kernels are used for Ifa divination. In the act of making traditional sacrifice, Palm oil is used for pouring libations.
In the Christian faith palm frond symbolizes victory, during palm Sunday Jesus Christ was greeted by a path of fronds as he entered Jerusalem and it is used to make crosses of Jesus Christ. Muslims regards the Date Palm as the “tree of life” and Palm symbolizes rest and hospitality. The first muezzin climbed palm trees to call the faithful to prayer from which the minaret developed. Also Muhammad is said to have built his home out of palm.
THERAPEUITIC VALUE
Palm tree are traditionally acknowledge to process therapeutic virtues. In the 1700’s Europeans used palm oil as a medicine. The heart of the Vonitra palm cures cough. Palm wine provide yeast and cure malaria. Among other diseases cures by Palm tree are malaria, vitamin A deficiency, Vitamin C deficiency, Vitamin E deficiency, high blood pressure, Cyanide poisoning, body rash, dog infection, chicken infection etc The enormous use of oil palm tree is generally recognized but is beginning to deteriorate in Africa most especially Nigeria. It was recorded that Nigeria gave Malaysia the oil palm Kernel for their plantation in the 1960’s and Malaysia is presently the world leading oil palm producer.
In conclusion, this era of industrialization and modernization, most palm oil plantation are now experiencing savage deforestation. We need to preserve and Plant more oil palm for the preservation of the harmonious relationship between human and oil palm tree. Government and individuals must plant more of oil palm in order for us to find ways of ensuring balance use of this plant resource which has given us so much and which could still contribute to the development of our society.
