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Desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca)
Photo: Marco Schmidt, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 2 countries tree

Desert date

Balanites aegyptiaca

Family: Zygophyllaceae

On our map this plant appears in 2 countries and ranks highest in: Chad, Sudan.

A thorny shrub or tree with long green spines and green young shoots that photosynthesise even after the plant has shed its leaves. Its oblong, yellow-brown fruits have bittersweet, sticky flesh, and the hard stone holds an oily seed. The tree is long-lived, regrows after browsing and is almost immune to drought. The fruit, leaves and seed oil are edible, and the bark and fruit have been used as a washing agent and in folk medicine.

Description from: Chad.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Chad no. 2 of 8 native

    In Chad the heglig is one of the commonest trees of the Sahel and an important source of food for people and fodder for camels and goats. Oil from its seeds is used in cooking and for skin care.

  2. Sudan no. 5 of 10 native

    The heglig is one of Sudan’s commonest trees and an important source of food in times of drought. It gave its name to Heglig – a town and oilfield on the border with South Sudan.