| DESCRIPTION: It is a tree reaching 15-40 m in height, the bole slightly buttressed and the crown dense and compact. Leaves 5-15 x 2.5-6 cm, elliptic to slightly obovate. Fruits yellowish when ripe, broadly ellipsoid and variable in size between varieties, 5-7.5 cm with a yellow, fibrous pulp surrounding a large seed. USE: Fruit pulp is palatable and can be used for a fruit drink and for jam production. The kernel can be processed into flour by extraction, drying and grinding. The pounded seed is added to meat and various vegetable dishes as a sauce. Margarine and cooking oil can be obtained from the kernels. The timber is used for boards, planking, ship decking and paving blocks. Kernels contain oil used for making soaps, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Relieves diarrhoea and dysentery. Used internally as a purgative, for gastrointestinal and liver conditions, for sterility, hernias and urethral discharge, and is considered to be a powerful aphrodisiac. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: African mango, bread tree, bush mango, native mango, wild mango. FURTHER INF: It occurs in the wild in lowland dense moist forest, 2-3 trees occur together and in some areas it is reported to be gregarious. |
