Zam palm
WHAT IS IT? When it comes to new species, they rarely get much bigger than this. With leaves reaching a massive 21m in length, the zam palm certainly isn’t hard to spot, although its size does make it difficult to collect for any passing botanists.
WHERE IS IT? Though new to science, the zam palm – which is very common in swamps and along roadsides in Cameroon and Gabon – is well known to local people. The leaves and wood are used as versatile building materials, while medicines for hypertension and diabetes are prepared from the fruit and wine is made from the sap. Stuart Blackman