Vitex mombassae
Vatke
Smelly-berry vitex, Smelly-berry finger-leaf
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(c) Rob Palmer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Rob Palmer
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(c) franceschase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) franceschase, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A shrub or tree. It grows up to 6 m tall. It often has many branches from the base. The leaves have 3-5 leaflets. The leaves have long stalks but the leaflets are stalkless. The leaflets radiate from one point and the end one is the largest. The leaflets are 7.5 cm long and 1.9 cm wide. They are densely velvety below. The flowers are violet or 2 coloured. The occur in groups on long stalks in the axils of leaves. The fruit has a hard stone and a thin fleshy covering. It is black when mature. The fruit is edible.
Edible Uses
The flesh of the fruit is eaten raw, and the seeds inside the hard stone are also edible. The fruit are especially eaten by children and are rich in Vitamin C. Wood ash is soaked in water and filtered to tenderize vegetables during cooking.
Traditional Uses
The flesh of the fruit is eaten raw. The fruit have an unpleasant smell and a persistent taste. The wood ash is soaked in water and filtered and this is used to tenderise vegetables during cooking. The seeds inside the hard stone is edible.
Medicinal Uses
The roots are boiled and the decoction used as a remedy for diabetes, infertility, and as an antiemetic.
Known Hazards
The fruit have an unpleasant smell and a persistent taste.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in the savannah. It prefers sandy soils. It occurs in hot areas on stony outcrops. It is also in deciduous woodland and especially on Kalahari sand. In Kenya it grows from sea level to 450 m altitude. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall of 955-1,050 mm. It can grow in arid places. It grows in Miombo woodland.
Where It Grows
Africa, Botswana, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from fresh seeds.
Other Uses
The wood is used for poles, troughs, grain mortars, pestles, spoons and tool handles. The wood is used for fuel.
Production
In Tanzania the ripe fruit are collected from April to June.
Other Information
The fruit are especially eaten by children.
Notes
The fruit are rich in Vitamin C. Also put in the family Verbenaceae.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 69.9 | 362 | 87 | 3.9 | — | 41 | 14 | 6.5 |
Synonyms
Also Known As
Chipindimbi, Fudu, Kafutu-bututa, Kazossotchi, Lufuka, M'purru, Makuku, Mchinka, Mfalali, Mfudukoma, Mfudu-madzi, Mfuntu, Mfutu, Mkula, Mpsympsya, Mpunungu, Mpyimpya, Misasati, Msasati, Mserakunyama, Mtalali, Mufudu-madzi, Mufutu, Musarari, Musasati, Mutae, Ntonongoli, Stinkbessievingerblaar, Sungwi, Talali, Tlambaumo
References (30)
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- Emmanuel, T. V., et al, 2011, Nutritive and Anti-nutritive Qualities of mostly preferred edible woody species in selected drylands of Iringa District, Tanzania. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition. 10(8): 786-791
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 43
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