Dactyladenia scabrifolia
(Hua) Prance
Boille demon
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Description
A small to medium sized tree. It can grow to 20-27 m high. The trunk can be 1.7 m around. The trunk is straight. The leaves are alternate and simple. They have rough hairs. The leaves are narrowly oval and wedge shaped at the base. They taper to the tip. The flowers are greenish-white and in short groups. The fruit is smooth and 4 cm long by 2 cm wide. There is one large hairy edible seed.
Edible Uses
The large hairy seed inside the fruit is edible.
Medicinal Uses
A leaf decoction is taken to treat dysentery.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows as an under-storey tree in the high closed rainforest in West Africa. It suits humid locations. It grows up to 1,100 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, Benin, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, West Africa,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds.
Other Uses
The heartwood is pale brown to reddish brown, sometimes with narrow darker streaks; it is not distinctly demarcated from the paler sapwood. The texture is moderately coarse. The wood is fairly heavy, hard and moderately durable. It wood is used locally for construction, planks and utensils such as rice pestles and mortars. The wood produces an excellent charcoal.
Production
Flowers can occur throughout the year. Fruit are most common in August and September.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Guilinti, Kebe, Nyagalei, Nyagai, Nye-ku, Yomiswend
References (5)
- Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1. Kew. (As Acioa scabrifolia)
- Fern, K., 2012, Tropical Species Database http://theferns.info/tropical/
- PROTA
- Savill, P. S. & Fox, J. E. D., Trees of Sierra Leone. p 215 (As Acioa scabrifolia)
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
