Oil palm - Elaeis guineensis; oil palm

Japanese: アブラヤシ(油椰子) - アブラヤシ（英語表記）Elaeis guineensis; oil palm

A tall palm tree native to West Africa. It is widely cultivated in tropical regions. The dark green pinnate leaves, up to 7 m long, grow in clusters at the top of the trunk, and the petioles of the lower trunk remain after the leaves have withered. The female and male flowers grow in separate inflorescences, and the female flowers form short panicles. The fruit is about 4 cm long and ovoid, turning orange when ripe. It is a drupe, and the fibrous layer of the mesocarp surrounding the kernel contains oil, from which palm oil is extracted. This oil is used as an industrial raw material and a source of soap. Meanwhile, palm kernel oil, obtained by squeezing the kernel (endosperm) inside the kernel, is an important raw material for edible oil, especially margarine. It is particularly produced in Malaysia.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ヤシ科の高木で西アフリカ原産。熱帯地方に広く栽培される。葉は長さ 7mもある羽状葉で暗緑色，幹の上部に固まってつき，下部のものも枯れたあとの葉柄が残存して幹をおおう。雌花と雄花は別々の花序につき，雌花は短い円錐花序をなす。果実は長さ 4cmほどの卵形で，熟するとオレンジ色になる。核果で核を取巻く中果皮の繊維層に油脂を含み，これからパーム油 palm oilをとる。この油は工業原料や石鹸の原料となる。一方，核内の種子 (胚乳) をしぼって得られる油 (ヤシ核油 palm kernel oil) は食用油，特にマーガリンの原料として重要である。マレーシアでの生産が特に多い。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

<<: Steatornis caripensis; oilbird

>>: Oil burn - Oil burn