Common Name:

General Information

Rothmannia engleriana is a small, spindly tree with light branching that is often whorled, giving a rounded or flat-topped crown. It grows from 2 - 9 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - eastern DR Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique.

Habitat

Brachystegia woodland at elevations from 1,100 - 1,900 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	6.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The fruit pulp is juicy and very sweet, with a fragrant and sweet smell[]. Eaten as a snack, they are much liked by children. The fruit has a hard skin, this is broken when eating it and the soft pulp is sucked out[]. The pulp can be soaked in warm water, then squeezed, sugar added and the liquid filtered. This refreshing juice can then be drunk before or after being cooled[]. The round to oval fruit is 20 - 46cm in diameter and covered with soft dark orange hairs. It contains many brown seeds surrounded by a soft edible pulp[].

Medicinal

The roots are chewed and swallowed or pounded and soaked in cold water and the infusion used to treat snakebite and stomach-ache[].

Other Uses

The wood is used to make tool handles and spoons[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

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