Chrysophyllum gorungosanum

Engl.

Brown-berry fluted milkwood

Sapotaceae Edible: Fruit 16 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A tall evergreen tree. It grows 30-40 m tall. It has a straight slender trunk which branches after about 16 m. It has a small spreading crown. The trunk is fluted. Young parts of the tree are covered with golden-brown fairs. The bark is light grey. It has cracks along its length. The leaves are narrow and oblong. They are stiff and 7-15 cm long. They narrow towards the leaf stalk. The leaf stalk is 2.5 cm long. The upper surface of the leaves is dark green and shiny. The lower surface is covered with brown to silver hairs. The midrib and veins are prominent under the leaf. There are 10-17 pairs of side veins clearly curved towards the leaf tip. The flowers are yellow and very small. They are in short stalked clusters beside the leaves. The fruit is oval and 4 cm long. It has dense brown hairs which rub off in patches. There are 3-5 flat seeds inside the fleshy fruit.

Edible Uses

The oval fruits are eaten fresh or processed into jam.

Traditional Uses

The fruit is eaten. They are also used for jam.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in lower mountain forest in Uganda. It occurs in evergreen forest.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. They can be sown direct or in pots then transplanted. For seed the fruit are collected after falling to the ground then crushed and the seed extracted. Seed can be stored in a cool place. Shade should be provided for young plants.

Other Uses

A white latex exudes from incisions in the bark. The wood is pinkish brown, straight-grained, medium texture, liable to split in the log and to warp on seasoning. It is used for timber, grain mortars, beehives, veneer and plywood.

Notes

There are about 80-150 Chrysophyllum species. They are mostly in tropical America. There are 44 species in tropical America.

Synonyms

Chrysophyllum boivinianum auct.Chryosphyllum fulvum S. Moore

Also Known As

Chifila, Mucasi, Muchanje, Muchanza, Mufu, Umutooyi

References (10)

Ferns, Useful Tropical Plants
Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 339
Katende, A.B., Birnie, A & Tengnas B., 1995, Useful Trees and Shrubs for Uganda. Identification, Propagation and Management for Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Technical handbook No 10. Regional Soil Conservation Unit, Nairobi, Kenya. p 180
Lemmens, R.H.M.J., 2007. Chrysophyllum africanum A.DC. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Louppe, D., Oteng-Amoako, A.A. & Brink, M. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 14 October 2009.
Monogr. afrik. Pflanzen-Fam. 8:44. 1904

Show all 10 references

Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 725
White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 538
Williamson, J., 2005, Useful Plants of Malawi. 3rd. Edition. Mdadzi Book Trust. p 64
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (As Gambeya gorungosana)
www.zimbabweflora.co.zw 2011