Polygala butyracea
Heckel
Polygalaceae
Common Name: Black Beniseed
General Information
Black beniseed is a stout herbaceous plant with long branches up to 2 metres tall[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
]. It is unclear if the plant is an annual or a perennial[
328- Title
- African Flowering Plants Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].
The plant is cultivated in west tropical Africa, mainly for its seed which is eaten and used as a source of oil[
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
West tropical Africa.
Habitat
The plant is only known in cultivation[
328- Title
- African Flowering Plants Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 2.00 m |
| Pollinators | Self, Insects |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated |
Cultivation Details
A plant of lowland tropical areas, where it is usually found at elevations below 600 metres[
328- Title
- African Flowering Plants Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].
The plant is only known in cultivation, probably a relict of an ancient culture, having been derived from P. baikiei or P. Cristata[
328- Title
- African Flowering Plants Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
,
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Edible Uses
The fatty seeds are dried, ground into a powder and used in soups[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
]. The seeds are about 5mm long and 2 - 3mm wide[
484- Title
- West African Forests and Forestry
- Publication
-
- Author
- Unwin A.H.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- T. Fisher Unwin Ltd.; London
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Quite extensive information on some of the trees of West Africa. The book can be downloaded from the Internet
].
The seeds yield almost 40% of a soft, yellowish fat with a pleasant flavour and no aroma[
484- Title
- West African Forests and Forestry
- Publication
-
- Author
- Unwin A.H.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- T. Fisher Unwin Ltd.; London
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Quite extensive information on some of the trees of West Africa. The book can be downloaded from the Internet
]. Known as 'malukang fat', it is used for cooking[
].
Medicinal
The fatty seeds are utilized for medicinal purposes[
].
Other Uses
The plant yields fibres which can be made into cloth, bags, fishing lines, nets etc[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
