Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), originated in central and western Africa, is a major diploid monocotyledon grown primarily in Asia. Palm oil is the second largest contribution to the human vegetal oil consumption after soybean. The American E. oleifera wild species, the single one belonging to the same Elaeis genus, is part of inter-specific breeding programmes due to its inter-fertility with E. guineensis. For marker-assited selection, oil palm breeders need molecular tools based on simple techniques adapted for small-sized laboratory units in overseas oil palm research stations. Smith et al. (1997) resumed the potential advantages of reliability, reproductibility, discrimination, standardisation and cost effectiveness of the Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) also called microsatellites. The E. guineensis microsatellite markers, developed by Cirad in collaboration with the Genoscope Centre in Evry, France, are bound to genetic mapping, diversity studies and variety identification. The present study gives a first picture in resolving the potential of E. guineensis SSR makers for genetic studies of E. guineensis and of E. oleifera, but also for any researcher studying different palm taxa.