Phyllanthus polyanthus
Pax
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Geoff Nichols, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Geoff Nichols
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Erwin Sieben, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A small tree. It grows 3-9 m tall. It can grow 30 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The bark is light coloured. The branches are spreading. The leaves are simple and oval. They are 8 cm long by 3 cm wide. They are rough and shiny on both surfaces. The edges are slightly wavy. The male flowers are in slender groups 8 cm long. They are on woody branches. The fruit are celled capsules. The seeds are very hard with a thick wall.
Edible Uses
The fruit are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows in coastal forests. It can be in seasonally flooded forests.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Gabon, Mozambique,
Production
In Central African Republic plants flower and fruit in February.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Mantomina, Okolo
References (2)
- Baker, J. G., 1913, Flora of Tropical Africa. Vol. 6 Part 1 p 441
- Termote, C., et al, 2011, Eating from the wild: Turumbu, Mbole and Bali traditional knowledge of non-cultivated edible plants, District Tshopo, DRCongo, Gen Resourc Crop Evol. 58:585-618
