Diospyros mespiliformis

Diospyros mespiliformis, the jackalberry (also known as African ebony and by its Afrikaans name jakkalsbessie), is a large dioecious evergreen tree found mostly in the savannas of Africa. Jackals are fond of the fruit, hence the common names. It is a member of the family Ebenaceae, and is related to the true ebony (D. ebenum) and edible persimmon (D. kaki).

Description

An evergreen tree. It grows up to 15-20 m tall. It can grow to 45 m tall in forests. It has a dense wide spreading round crown. The trunk sometimes has buttresses. Young branches have soft hairs. The bark is dark grey. The bark is smooth in young trees and becomes rough in older trees. The small twigs are pink. The leaves are simple. They are 4-17 cm long and 1.5-5.5 cm wide. The midrib is sunken on top and prominent underneath. The flowers occur as male and female flowers on separate trees. The male flowers occur in clusters and the female flowers occur singly. The fruit are round and 3 cm across. They have sweet edible pulp. The fruit are green and with hairs when young and become yellow or purple when ripe. They contain 4-6 seeds. The seeds are brown. They are oblong and flattened.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw, cooked, dried, or fermented into beverages. It has a sweet flavour similar to persimmon (D. kaki). A kind of soft toffee can be made from the fruits, which — along with similar fruits such as figs and dates — are known as lubiya. The globose, yellow fruit is up to 25mm in diameter. The leaves are sometimes eaten. Chemical composition of a Sudan sample (dry weight): Crude protein 3.0%, Fat 0.9%, Crude fibre 16.5%, Ash 4.5%; Soluble carbohydrates — Starch 6.1%, Sucrose 0%, D-Glucose 7.61%, F-Fructose 9.9%. Amino acids (g per 16g N): Aspartic acid 5.7g, Threonine 3.0g, Serine 3.3g, Glutamic acid 6.6g, Proline 7.6g, Glycine 4.0g, Alanine 3.3g, Valine 4.3g, Cysteine 1.0g, Methionine 1.0g, Isoleucine 3.7g, Leucine 5.0g, Tyrosine 2.0g, Phenylalanine 3.3g, Lysine 4.0g, Histidine 2.3g, Arginine 4.0g. Minerals: Sulphur 0.05%, Phosphorus 0.11%, Magnesium 0.08%, Calcium 0.37%, Sodium 0.01%, Potassium 1.51%; Zinc 5mg/kg, Iron 192mg/kg, Manganese 5mg/kg, Copper 1mg/kg.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten fresh or dried. They are also made into a porridge. The fruit can be dried and stored. The seeds are also edible. The fruit are also used to make beer, or wine. The fruit can be used for jam, and sweets.

Medicinal Uses

The plant is widely used in traditional African medicine, and a number of medically active constituents have been isolated. The principal active compound appears to be plumbagin, found in the root-bark at a concentration of 0.9% (with only a trace in the leaves), and shown to have antibiotic, antihaemorrhagic, and fungistatic properties. Tannin, saponin, and a substance likely identical to scopolamine are also present, along with a high fluoride content. The leaves are astringent, febrifuge, haemostatic, mildly laxative, stimulant, and vermifuge, and this plant is often prescribed alone in traditional practice. A leaf infusion is used for fevers, infectious fevers, dysentery, pneumonia, syphilis, leprosy, and yaws. A decoction of leafy twigs is taken as a poison antidote. Leaves and fruit are used internally for menorrhoea and dysenteriform diarrhoea, and externally for headaches, arthritis, and dermal conditions. Leaves and fruit are chewed or applied as an infusion to treat gingivitis, toothache, cuts, and wounds, and to prevent infection. Sap is instilled into the ear for otitis. A bark infusion treats stomach aches and is applied externally as a wash for sores and ulcers. Wood shavings combined with pods of Acacia nilotica and roots of Borassus spp. are pounded in water and boiled for about two hours; the resulting liquid is used in Nigeria as a mouth rinse for toothache. Sap from freshly felled trees, water from holes in the tree, or an infusion of the black heartwood are used similarly.

Known Hazards

Sawdust of this species, as also of most Diospyros spp., causes dermatitis after continuous contact.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It can grow in the tropical lowlands. It occurs in tropical Africa south of the Sahara. It grows in the Sahel. It grows in semi arid woodland. In occurs where the mean temperatures are between 16°C and 27°C. In Tanzania it grows between 350-1250 m altitude. It is more common where rainfall is 500-1270 mm per year. It does best on heavy soils. It often grows near streams and freshwater. It can grow on termite mounds. It can grow in arid places. It grows in Miombo woodland in Africa.

Where It Grows

Africa*, Angola, Asia, Australia, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, East Africa, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Middle East, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. Seeds take about one month to germinate. Seeds can be covered in boiling water and left to soak overnight before planting. They can also be grown by coppicing and by root suckers. They can be grown by cuttings. Seeds need plenty of moisture to germinate well. Fruit are often collected from the ground but can be picked from the tree.

Propagation

Pre-soak seed overnight in hot water, allowed to cool, to break dormancy. Sow in flat seed trays filled with river sand. Under ideal conditions, seeds germinate within 50 days. Transplant seedlings at the 3-leaf stage, as leaving them longer risks damaging the taproot during transplanting. Growth is rather slow initially but speeds up considerably after the first year. Young trees do not transplant easily. Seed storage behaviour is orthodox — viability can be maintained for one season in open storage, or for several years in hermetic storage at 3°C with 5–6% moisture content. The plant can also be propagated from root suckers.

Other Uses

This species is considered suitable for reforestation, with good natural regeneration. The bark yields a dark-coloured gum used to mend broken pottery. Bark is also used to dye mats red. Fruit pulp is applied to pottery as a glaze and varnish. The wood is used as chew-sticks. The heartwood is black, very hard, and appears only in older trees above a certain girth; it is clearly demarcated from the 5–12cm wide band of creamy to reddish-yellow sapwood, which produces bands of black. Freshly cut wood is light pinkish-brown, slightly darker toward the centre. Blackening of the heartwood develops only after felling and appears to depend on growing conditions — trees from savannah situations blacken while those from more heavily forested areas do not. Blackening is possibly a pathological process and burying is said to accelerate it. The texture is fine, the grain straight or slightly interlocked. The wood is heavy, very hard, and strong, and is very durable — resistant to fungi, dry wood borers, and termites. It seasons slowly with a high risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is poorly stable in service. It is difficult to saw and work with serious dulling effect on blades — stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended. Surfaces take an excellent polish, though interlocked or curly grain may cause picking up during planing, requiring a reduced cutting angle. It has a tendency to split on nailing, so pre-boring is advised; gluing properties are satisfactory and slicing is possible but requires powerful machines. The heartwood is valued for black-wood cabinetry, furniture, and high-class carpentry, as well as heavy flooring, interior trim, shipbuilding, vehicle bodies, musical instruments (especially piano black keys and guitar fingerboards), precision equipment, turnery, carvings, knife handles, and brush backs. The sapwood — and sometimes the heartwood — is used for poles, posts, vehicle bodies, agricultural implements, toys, novelties, sporting goods, combs, ladders, boxes, crates, crossbows, veneer, and plywood. The wood also makes good fuel and charcoal.

Production

Small plants are slow growing but they grow taller after a few months. Flowering occurs during the rainy season and fruiting during the dry season. It is about 6-8 months from flowering to mature fruit. Fruit mature faster in hot dry places.

Other Information

It is a commonly used food plant in West Africa.

Notes

There are about 485 species of Diospyros mostly in the tropics. Chemical composition (Sudan sample, after Abdelmuti): Protein (crude) = 3.0% (dry). Fat = 0.9% )(dry). Fibre (crude) = 16.5% (dry). Ash = 4.5% (dry). Carbohydrate (soluble): Starch = 6.1% (dry). Sucrose = 0% (dry). D-Glucose = 7.61% (dry). F-Fructose = 9.9% (dry). Amino acids (g [16g N]-1): Aspartic acid = 5.7g. Threonine = 3.0g. Serine = 3.3g. Glutamic acid = 6.6g. Proline = 7.6g. Glycine = 4.0g. Alanine = 3.3g. Valine = 4.3g. Cysteine = 1.0g. Methionine = 1.0g. Isoleucine = 3.7g. Leucine = 5.0g. Tyrosine = 2.0g. Phenylalanine = 3.3g. Lysine = 4.0g. Histidine = 2.3g. Arginine = 4.0g. Minerals: Sulphur = 0.05% (dry). Phosphorus = 0.11% (dry). Magnesium = 0.08% (dry). Calcium = 0.37% (dry). Na = 0.01% (dry). K = 1.51% (dry). Zinc = 5 mg/kg-1 (dry). Iron = 192 mg/kg-1 (dry). Manganese = 5 kg/kg-1 (dry). Copper = 1 mg/kg-1 (dry).

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Betre musie, Chuma, Cum, Cumu, Ekumi, Ekumoit, Gaa, Gar, Gughan, Houang, Jackal berry, M'cheng, Maumwa, Mchenya, Mkululu, Mokutshumo, Msumwa, mu -Koro, Mucula, Mukengia, Muqueue, Murriparipa, Mutona, Nana, Nyelenje, Omwandi, Rhodesian ebony, Swamp ebony, Toma, Umtfoma, Umtoma

References (112)

• Agbahoungba, S., et al, 2016, Ecological diversity and conservation of wild edible fruit trees species in the Lama Forest Reserve in Benin. Bois et Forets des Tropiques 2016, No. 329(3)
• andELMUTI,
• 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
• Asfaw, Z. and Tadesse, M., 2001, Prospects for Sustainable Use and Development of Wild Food Plants in Ethiopia. Economic Botany, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 47-62
• Assefa, A. & Abebe, T., 2010, Wild Edible Trees and Shrubs in the Semi-arid Lowlands of Southern Ethiopia. Journal of Science and Development 1 (1) 2010

More from Ebenaceae

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Small-leaved jackal-berry, Acorn diospyros

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