Common Name:

General Information

Pouteria alnifolia is a deciduous tree growing up to 25 metres tall. The bole, which is up to 70cm in diameter, is often twisted and fluted, with small buttresses at the base[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of food, medicines and wood. It can be grown as a pioneer species to re-establish woodland.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - drier areas from Senegal to Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.

Habitat

Dry forest and gallery forest, often in the transition zone between savannah and forest, and also in disturbed forest. It is often found on rocky sites[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	20.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The tree can be coppiced[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[, ]. The pulp of ripe fruits has a sweet flavour[]. The fruit is a red, globose to ellipsoid berry 15 - 25mm long, containing a single seed up to 20mm long[].

An oil obtained from the seed is used for cooking[]. The seeds are pounded, boiled, the liquid filtered off and cooled; the oil which floats to the top of the pot is then skimmed off[].

The leaves are used as food wrappers[].

Medicinal

The leaves are applied externally to treat yaws, wounds and conjunctivitis[].

The pulped bark is administered in embrocations to treat rheumatism and as an enema to treat diarrhoea in children[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is a pioneer species in its native range. It tolerates fire and regenerates abundantly in regularly burned forest, where it is often more common than in unburned forest[].
Vegetation communities in which this plant plays an important role are considered an indicator of sites with great potential for growing teak[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is yellowish white and not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The wood is fairly hard, durable and resistant to termites. It is used locally for construction, implements, walking sticks and canoes[].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[, , ].
We do not have any more information on the wood of this species. However, we have a general description of the wood for the African members of this genus, which is as follows:-
The heartwood is yellowish-white, pale brown, or pinkish-brown, darkening slightly after exposure; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is medium to coarse; the grain usually straight, sometimes wavy; lustrous; there is a faint cedarlike odour. The wood is perishable, with little resistance to attack by decay fungi and termites, and is also liable to blue stain. It seasons well without degrade. It is generally reported to saw and machine well, but some species are silicious and have a blunting effect on cutters; it is rather difficult to finish; cuts well on rotary lathes or slicers. It is used for purposes such as general carpentry, joinery, veneer and plywood, furniture components[].

Propagation

Seed -

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