Common Name: Akee

General Information

Akee is an evergreen tree with a frondose crown, that can grow from 7 - 25 metres tall[, , ]. It has a long, but not cylindrical, bole[]. The bole can be branchless for up to 15 metres and straight and cylindrical, but more often it is much shorter and crooked or twisted, up to 80cm in diameter, often with small buttresses[].
A multipurpose tree, providing food, medicines and various commodities for the local populace. The tree is often cultivated for its edible fruit in many areas of the tropics and subtropics, especially in the Caribbean[]. It has fragrant flowers and so is also grown as an ornamental and shade tree[, ]. The plant was introduced to Jamaica by Captain Bligh in 1793 to furnish food for the slaves, and spread from there to other tropical American countries[]. Importation to the USA has been banned by the US Food and Drug Administration[].

Known Hazards

Great care should be exercised if eating this fruit. It must only be eaten when fully ripe since both before and after that stage it is considered to be poisonous[].
A toxic peptide, hypoglycine A, is contained in the unripe aril[].
The pink raphe that attaches the aril to its seed is deadly toxic and must be carefully and completely removed[].
The pounded fruit is used as fish poison[].

Botanical References

Range

Western and central tropical Africa - Senegal to Cameroon and Gabon.

Habitat

Seasonally dry lowland woodland[]. Forest outliers on the savannah and drier parts of forests[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the drier to very wet lowland tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 900 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 24 - 27°c, but can tolerate 20 - 34°c[]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -3°c or lower, but young plants are intolerant of any frost[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 700 - 6,000mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Prefers a moist, loamy, fertile, well-drained soil[, ]. Plants can succeed in a range of soils, including infertile, rocky soils[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.3 - 8[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Initial growth is fast on moderately fertile soils. Seedlings grow best in gaps in the forest canopy, with a mean annual height increment of 70cm[].
Plants can commence cropping when 3 - 4 years old from seed[].
The plant has been known to escape from cultivation when grown in sandy soils[].
Plants flower intermittently throughout the year[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - eaten raw when fully ripe[]. The fleshy arils surrounding the seeds are firm and oily, with a nutty flavour, though they can soon become rancid[]. The fleshy fruit can also be curried, used in soups, stews, soufflés etc[]. The fruit is harvested when they have split open naturally, revealing four large glossy black seeds embedded in spongy, cream-coloured buttery arils[]. The pear-shaped fruit is about 75mm long, 45mm wide, and is produced in clumps of 3 - 10[, ]. The fruit must be allowed to open fully, or at least partly, before it is detached from the tree[]. Unripe or overripe arils, as well as the seeds, contain hypoglycin and its derivative - they are strongly toxic[, ].

The seeds yield a yellowish oil that is believed to be edible[].

Medicinal

The plant (part not specified) is used to treat anaemia and itching[]. In traditional medicine in Côte d’Ivoire, Blighia sapida is widely used for the treatment of yellow fever, epilepsy and oedema, and as a laxative and diuretic[].

Sap from terminal buds is instilled in the eyes to treat ophthalmia and conjunctivitis[].
The pulp of ground-up leafy twigs is rubbed on the forehead to treat migraine[].
The ground-up leaves, combined with plant salts, are applied as a paste to treat yaws and ulcers[].
The leaves are used in the treatment of fever and vertigo, and twigs to treat hepatitis, cirrhosis and amygdalitis[].

Bark and leaf decoctions are administered to treat oedema, intercostal pain, dysentery and diarrhoea[].

Decoctions of bark or fruit walls are applied to wounds[].

Pounded bark is administered as an antidote to snake and scorpion bites[]. The bark, ground-up with capsicum pepper (Capsicum annuum), is rubbed on the body as a stimulant[].

The seeds are taken to treat stomach complaints, including nausea and vomiting[]. Aqueous seed extracts are administered to expel parasites[].

The fruit pulp is used to treat whitlow[].

A water-soluble and heat-stable toxic compound, hypoglycin A, is present in the aril of unripe seeds, as well as in the seed and in the pinkish to reddish tissue at the base of the aril. The Jamaican vomiting sickness is associated with this compound and is characterized by vomiting, generalized weakness, altered consciousness and sometimes even death. Hypoglycaemia and depression of the central nervous system are common. The aril of fully ripe seeds after natural dehiscence of the fruit is nearly free of the toxic compound. The consumption of unripe seed arils has probably caused many cases of encephalopathy in children in Burkina Faso and other West African countries.

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is often planted to provide shade[, ]. It is considered useful for soil improvement and erosion control[].

Other Uses

The dried fruit husks are rich in potash; the ashes can be used in making soap[, ].

The flowers are used in the preparation of an aromatic water[, ]. Used as a cosmetic[].

The green fruits lather in warm water and are used as soap for washing and as a mordant for dyeing[, ].

The oil from the seeds are used in making traditional soap[]. The seeds contain about 26% of oil which is suitable for industrial applications[].

An ink for tattoos is made from the seeds[].

The heartwood is orange-brown or reddish brown; it is distinctly demarcated from the whitish sapwood. The texture is moderately coarse; the wood has little lustre. It is moderately heavy, hard, moderately durable and quite resistant to termite attack. It is easy to work with both machine and hand tools. The wood moulds and sands well and takes an attractive finish. The wood is mainly used for light construction and furniture, but sometimes also for casks, boxes, crates, food containers, packing cases, tool handles, paddles, pestles, mortars, handicrafts, carving and turnery. It is suitable for interior trim, joinery and railway sleepers[].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[]

Propagation

Seed - they are sensitive to desiccation and are considered short-lived. It is recommended to sow them within a few days after extraction from the fruit. However, seeds can be kept for 3 months in moist storage at 21°c. Germination starts after 2 - 4 weeks, with a germination rate of 80%[].
Greenwood cuttings.
Air layering
Grafting

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