Phenotypic Diversity of Doum Palm (Hyphaene compressa), a Semi‐Domesticated Palm in the Arid and Semi‐Arid Regions of Kenya

Table 6

Fruit and vegetative qualitative traits of Kenyan doum palm accessions.

Trait	Category	Tharaka %	Tana River %	Kwale %	Turkana %
Trunk colour	Dark brown colour	16.7	—	—	10
	Pale colour	26.7	100	—	6.7
	Ashy colour	56.7	—	100	88.3
Trunk diameter	Thick	53.3	—	26.7	16.7
	Medium	46.7	80	40	88.3
	Thin	—	20	33.3	—
Trunk branching	No branching	—	13.3	46.7	6.7
	2-trunk branching	66.7	80	40	60
	More than 2 branching	33.3	6.7	13.3	10
Leaf colour	Dark green	36.7	—	—	6.7
	Green	63.3	—	100	46.7
	Light green	—	100	—	46.7
Mid-rib colour	Green	—	—	—	23.3
	Yellow green	100	100	100	76.7
Petiole colour	Green with black stripes	33.3	—	6.7	80
	Green	16.7	—	26.7	16.7
	Yellow with black stripes	20	100	—	—
	Brown with black stripes	30	—	66.7	3.3
Pinnae density	Very dense	100	—	—	3.3
	Dense	—	100	53.3	96.7
	Lax		—	46.7	—
Fruit shape	Round oblong	100	93.3	33.3	100
	Obviate	—	6.7	33.3	—
	Ovate	—	—	33.3	—
Fruit apex	Truncate	100	100	66.7	100
	Depressed	—	—	33.3	—
Fruit base	Truncate	100	100	33.3	100
	Acute	—	—	66.7	—
Fruit colour-unripe	Green	100	100	100	56.7
	Maroon	—	—	—	43.3
Fruit colour when mature	Reddish-brown	—	100	6.7	56.7
	Brown	30	—	60	43.3
	Orange-brown	63.3	—	—	—
	Orange	6.7	—	33.3	—