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Nannorrhops ritchiana

Common name:	Mazari Palm	Family:	Palmae
Author:	(Griff.)Aitch.	Botanical references:
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	W. Asia - Iran to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Habitat:	Open, sparsely vegetated semi-arid desert regions where there is a water table close enough to the surface to provide a continuous supply of moisture[231].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chamaerops ritchiana[G] N. ritchieana[E]
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arecales. Renamed to Arecaceae -- Palm family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 5m by 3m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Flowers Fruit Leaves.

Young leafs and buds[2]. No more details are given.
Young inflorescence[2].No more details are given.
Fruit[2]. No more details are given.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Purgative.

The leaves are purgative[240]. They are used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery[240]. Yes, both these reports come from the same source, without further explanation[K]. The plant is chiefly used in veterinary medicine[240].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Little is known about this species cultural requirements, but it probably succeeds in most fertile moist but well-drained soils in a sheltered sunny position[231].
Plants experience very cold winters in their native habitat, though this is accompanied by heavy snow which acts to insulate the plant from the extremes of cold. However, this species should be suitable for cultivation in temperate areas that only experience light frosts[231].
Palms usually have deep penetrating root systems and generally establish best when planted out at a young stage. However, older plants are substantially more cold tolerant than juvenile plants[231]. In areas at the limit of their cold tolerance, therefore, it is prudent to grow the plants in containers for some years, giving them winter protection, and only planting them into their permanent positions when sheer size dictates[231]. Palms can also often be transplanted even when very large. Although the thick fleshy roots are easily damaged and/or desiccated, new roots are generally freely produced. It is important to stake the plant very firmly to prevent rock, and also to give it plenty of water until re-established - removing many of the leaves can also help[231].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse at not less than 24° c[188]. Stored seed is very slow to germinate. Pre-soaking the seed for 24 hours in warm water prior to sowing may shorten the germination time. Plants form a long tap-root some time before forming a shoot and so should be sown in fairly deep pots. Germination of fresh seed usually takes place in 3 - 4 months at 25° c[138]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Nannorrhops ritchieana (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[231] McMillan-Browse. P. Palms for Cooler Climates. Trebah Enterprises. 1993 ISBN 0 9521952 0 8
An excellent little booklet on the subject, though it does not mention many plant uses.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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