Elaeis guineensis 1993. Elaeis guineensis Elaeis guineensis is a species of palm commonly called African oil palm or macaw-fat. It is the principal source of palm oil. It is native to west and southwest Africa, specifically the area between Angola and The Gambia; the species name "guineensis" refers to the name for the area, Guinea, and not the modern country which now bears that name. The species is also now naturalised in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Central America, the West Indies and several islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The closely related American oil palm "Elaeis oleifera" and a more
Elaeis guineensis point is damaged, sometimes by "Oryctes" beetles. Small, distorted leaves resembling a boron deficiency emerge. This is often followed by secondary pathogenic infections in the spear that can lead to spear rot and palm death. "Elaeis guineensis" originated in Guinea, Africa and was first illustrated by Nicholaas Jacquin in 1763. Oil palms were introduced to Java by the Dutch in 1848, and to Malaysia (then the British colony of Malaya) in 1910 by Scotsman William Sime and English banker Henry Darby. The species of palm tree "Elaeis guineensis" was taken to Malaysia from Eastern Nigeria in 1961. As noted it