Vegetable ivory
This palm seed was purchased from a curio shop in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in November 1978, as a “ propagator of ivory growth in elephants “. This unusual description is because the innermost part of the seed looks very much like ivory. It is often called ‘vegetable ivory’ and can be carved to make figures and trinkets.
Object Summary
- Accession Loan No.
- 9/1982
- Collection Class
- Plants
- Collection Area Region
- Southern Africa
- Collector Excavator
- Back, Mrs (from the collection of)
- Common Name
- vegetable ivory
- Simple Name
- fruit; vegetable ivory
- Period Classification
- Modern (1945-); Modern (1900-)
