Sarcocephalus latifolius

Description

A small tree or shrub that loses its leaves. It has many stems and grows 2-9 m tall. It can grow a large tree in forest. The trunk is crooked and can be 30 cm across. It can have several stems. The branches are thick and drooping. The bark is dark grey and very fibrous. It is deeply cracked. The leaves are shiny green but darker on top and paler underneath. They are a wide oval shape and 10-21 cm long. The tip is pointed and the base is rounded. The leaves are thick with deep veins. The leaf stalk is red-purple. It is about 2 cm long. The flowers are white-yellow and have a strong smell. They occur in single rounded heads about 4-5 cm across. The flowers are in a rounded "pin cushion" like head. The individual flowers have slender tubes. The flower stalk is 1-2 cm long. The fruit is a compound fruit. It is red or pinkish with a rough appearance and the flesh is deep red and watery. The fruit is pitted like a golf ball. It is a round ball about 5-8 cm across. The surface of the fruit is rough with 5 sided pits. They contain many small seeds. The seeds are very small, about 1 mm across. They lie in the flesh around the solid core. The flesh is edible.

Edible Uses

The fruit and inflorescences are reportedly edible by humans. The fresh leaves are fed to cattle. N. lamarckia is grown as an ornamental, and for low-grade timber and paper. The timber is used for plywood, light construction, pulp and paper, boxes and crates, dug-out canoes, and furniture components. Kadamba yields a pulp of satisfactory brightness and performance as a hand sheet. The wood can be easily impregnated with synthetic resins to increase its density and compressive strength. The wood has a density of 290–560 kg/cu m at 15% moisture content, a fine to medium texture; straight grain; low luster and has no characteristic odor or taste. It is easy to work, with hand and machine tools, cuts cleanly, gives a very good surface and is easy to nail. The timber air dries rapidly with little or no degrade. Kadamba wood is very easy to preserve using either open tank or pressure-vacuum systems. Kadamba is one of the most frequently planted trees in the tropics. The tree is grown along avenues, roadsides and villages for shade. Kadamba are suitable for reforestation programs. It sheds large amounts of leaf and non-leaf litter which on decomposition improves some physical and chemical properties of soil under its canopy. This reflects an increase in the level of soil organic carbon, cation-exchange capacity, available plant nutrients and exchangeable bases. A yellow dye is obtained from the root bark. Kadamba flowers are an important raw material in the production of ‘attar’, which is Indian perfume with sandalwood (Santalum spp.) base in which one of the essences is absorbed through hydro-distillation. An extract of the leaves serves as a mouth gargle. The bulbous fruit (bearing flowers) is edible and is consumed raw in Northern India. It is fragrant, sweet and little tangy in taste and is widely enjoyed as relish. The leaf extract has recently been used to produce silver nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten raw and also used in soups. The fruit can be dried for later use. It is the pulp of the fruit that is eaten. A drink is prepared from the fruit. The flower heads are eaten as a vegetable. CAUTION: It can induce abortions. It is also used for arrow poison.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. There is a savannah form and a forest form across West Africa. It also grows on ant hills. It grows between 900-1,100 m above sea level. In Ethiopia it grows between 550-1,500 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Asia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabinda, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pacific, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, West Africa*,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from fresh seed. The seeds are very small. To separate the very small seeds from the fruit, mash the fruit then float it in a bucket of water. The seed will separate out and sink to the bottom. They should then be collected and slowly dried. Seed should be planted within 2 months. Plants can be cut back and will re-grow. They can be grown from cuttings or layering.

Other Information

The fruit are eaten especially by children. It is cultivated. It is a commonly used food in West Africa. Fruit tend to be available in the drier more hungry season.

Notes

Chemical composition: Protein (crude) = 6.4% (dry). Fat = 3.2% (dry). Fibre (crude) = 3.1% (dry). Ash = 5.1% (dry). Carbohydrate (soluble): Starch = 4.9% (dry). Sucrose = 5.6% (dry). D-glucose = 5.6% (dry). F-fructose = 2.7% (dry). Amino acids (g [16g N]-1): Aspartic acid = 7.5g. Threonine = 3.1g. Serine = 3.6g. Glutamic acid = 15.7g. Proline = 5.8g. Glycine = 4.4g. Alanine = 4.0g. Valine = 4.8g. Cysteine = 1.3g. Methionine = 1.3g. Isoleucine = 3.4g. Leucine = 6.1g. Tyrosine = 2.0g. Phenylalanine = 3.6g. Lysine = 1.9g. Histidine = 1.7g. Arginine = 6.4g. Minerals - Sulphur = 0.11% (dry). Potassium = 0.16% (dry). Magnesium = 0.22% (dry). Calcium = 0.54% (dry). Na = 0.04% (dry). K = 1.54% (dry). Zinc = 30mg/kg-1 (dry). Iron = 237mg/kg-1 (dry). Manganese = 18mg/kg-1 (dry). Copper = 8mg/kg-1 (dry).

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

A-podo, Abacore, Angatu, Bacore, Bakurehi, Bati-foro, Baro, Batio, Benau-utchata, Bopanicam, Buah persik hitam, Bugulba, Caboupa, Canhame, Chipoka, Coile, Conde, Country fig, Cunhe, Dhiot, Diuo, Dudanke, Ebele, Ebolo, Edoil, Ekomokoi, Eutudolei, Fafadjambo, Fumulundjucu, Ganyerou, Goat, Gongan, Gounge, Guinea peach, Gwiinga, Ibele, Ikyura-ukase, Karmadoda, Karmadodah, Katama, Kienga, Kilololkia pumba, Kwomo, Logotomic, Lolo, Lolo kia mabundu, M'nafo-ucon, Madronho, Miaar, Monyo, Moyo, Mukwamkwam, Munyu, Mutma, Nlolo, N'tole, Nafum-cone, Nauclea, Naude-puthu, Naudo-putcho, Negro-peach, Nzelenge, Oculub, Oculup, Ofede, Ogbossi, Opanica, Opepe, Pincushion, Ptehen'tugudu, Pulasan hutan, Rata-bakmi, Sierra Leone peach, Sukisia, Tambacumba-de-santcho, Tehe-intogude, Tetudu, Tetugde, Tuwon biri, Wuacruli

References (67)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 47 (As Nauclea latifolia)
• ABDELMUTI, (As Nauclea latifolia)
• Alyegba, S. S. et al, 2013, Ethnobotanical Survey of Edible Wild Plants in Tiv Communities of Benue State, Nigeria. Journal of Natural Sciences Research. Vol.3, No.7
• Ambe, G., 2001, Les fruits sauvages comestibles des savanes guinéennes de Côte-d’Ivoire : état de la connaissance par une population locale, les Malinké. Biotechnol. Agron. Soc. Environ. 5(1), 43-48 (As Nauclea latifolia)
• Asase, A. & Oteng-Yeboah, A. A., 2012, Plants used in Wechiau Comunity Hippotamus Sanctuary in Northwest Ghana. Ethnobotany research & Applications 10:605-618 (As Nauclea latifolia)

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