Common Name:

General Information

Synsepalum brevipes is a much-branched, evergreen tree with a dense, wide-spreading crown of drooping branches, growing 3 metres or more tall. It can occasionally be as much as 25 metres tall. The straight bole is up to 100cm in diameter, deeply fluted and slightly buttressed at the base[, , ].
The fruit is a popular wild food, often harvested and eaten as a snack, or made into a juice. The tree also has local medicinal uses and a useful timber. It is occasionally planted as a roadside tree or ornamental shade tree[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Habitat

Lowland rainforest and riverine forest, commonly found on river banks and margins of lakes or other sites with a permanently high water-table, at elevations up to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moister tropics, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to 1,500 metres[]. In Tanzania it is found in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,500 - 2,500mm[].
Thrives in deep well-drained humus-rich sandy loams[, ].
Trees respond well to coppicing and pollarding[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The thick-skinned fruit contains a white, acid-sweet pulp with a milky juice[]. A pleasant, acid flavour[]. It is eaten very frequently as a snack[]. The ripe fruits can be soaked in water, squeezed then the juice filtered and sugar added - this can be drunk before or after cooling[]. The yellow-orange, oval fruit has a pointed tip and is up to 25mm long, containing a single seed[].

Medicinal

A root decoction is taken to treat malaria and as an aphrodisiac[].

Sap from the roots and bark is drunk to treat coughs, colds, hernia and stomach complaints[].

A bark decoction is drunk to treat swellings[].

The leaves are used against hookworm infection of the small intestine[].

The fruit pulp is used to treat jaundice and nausea[].
The latex from the fruit is applied as a galactagogue[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is reddish brown, the sapwood pale brown to reddish yellow. The wood is hard, heavy and durable. It planes easily and smoothly; splits easily and does not take nails; and is not well suited for turning[, ]. It is used for pestles, tool handles, stakes, seats, canoes and domestic utensils[, ].
The wood is used for fuel and making charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak in warm water for 12 hours or scarify by lightly abrading the seedcoat, being careful not to damage the embryo. In tests, germination started after 8 - 25 days, and the germination percentage was high[].
Seeds can be stored for some time in sealed containers in a cool place[].

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