**2.1 Botanical description of** *Elaeis guineensis*

The classification of the botanical description of oil palms has presented some problems; the rules of plant taxonomy demand that the name first correctly applied to a species must be used (though the generic name can be changed if research indicates that a species has been placed in the wrong genus). The African oil palm was named *Elaeis guineensis* by [13] and this name is not questioned. According to [14] the first valid name for the American species is Corozo oleifera, but [15] considered that the American and African species are so closely related that separation in different genera is not justified. This is supported by the production of viable seeds in controlled pollination trials between the two species [16]. The correct name for the American oil palm is therefore *Elaeis oleifera* (H.B.K.) Cortes. In the hybrids, *Elaeis oleifera* shows dominance over *Elaeis guineensis* for several characters, suggesting that *Elaeis oleifera* is more primitive and *Elaeis guineensis* represents a derived

**Figure 2.** *Botanical description of oil palm.*

species [17]. **Figure 2** present the oil palm profile according to the Plant, United State Department of Agriculture USDA [18].
