Common Name:

General Information

Dacryodes klaineana is an evergreen tree with a low, spreading crown; usually growing up to 20 metres tall but with specimens up to 30 metres being recorded. The bole is irregular, up to 100cm in diameter, sometimes branched from near the base and at other times free of branches for 10 - 15 metres[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood. It is not usually planted, but trees are often retained and protected during clearing for agricultural purposes[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Cameroon, south to Gabon.

Habitat

Coastal forest, in understorey, sometimes abundant to very abundant; dry deciduous and fringing forests; forest-swampy savannah edge on a brook; evergreen forest; half-deciduous forests along rivers; at elevations from near sea level to 700 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

In Ivory Coast two varieties, based on the fruit, are recognized: one, known as saniasé, is globular with a taste of turpentine whilst the other has no recorded name and is ovoid, without a taste of turpentine[].
The plant grows slowly. In the evergreen forest of Irobo (Côte d’Ivoire), the average annual diameter growth is 1.2mm under natural conditions, and 2.6 - 3.1mm in partially thinned locations[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten raw or cooked; the pulp is boiled or roasted to yield a kind of butter[]. The fruit is about 25mm long[].
The flesh of the fruits in this genus usually adheres very strongly to the seed. When placed in hot (but not boiling) water at around 60 - 85°c the fruit softens and swells and all the flesh then slides easily off the seed[, ].

Medicinal

The ground leaf is an ingredient of an enema applied against painful menstruation[].

The plant (part not specified) is used to treat tachycardia and cough[].

The leaves contain tannins and traces of saponins[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is grey to yellowish grey-brown with darker streaks, giving it a decorative appearance; the 10cm or more wide band of sapwood is whitish grey. The wood is rather heavy and hard. It contains silica and is moderately difficult to work. It is used in construction and for mortars, axe handles and wagons. It has also been recommended for telegraph poles and railway sleepers. It is considered suitable for interior joinery, furniture and parquetry and has been used for paper making[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a lightly shaded position in a nursery seedbed. It germinates within 15 - 30 days[].

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Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?