Strychnos spinosa
| Strychnos spinosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Loganiaceae |
| Genus: | Strychnos |
| Species: | S. spinosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Strychnos spinosa | |
Strychnos spinosa is a tree indigenous to tropical and subtropical Africa. It produces juicy, sweet-sour, yellow fruits, containing numerous hard brown seeds. Greenish-white flowers grow in dense heads at the ends of branches (Sep-Feb/Spring - summer). The fruits tend to appear only after good rains. It is related to the deadly Strychnos nux-vomica, which contains strychnine. The smooth, hard fruit are large and green, ripen to yellow colour. Inside the fruit are tightly packed seeds (toxic?) surrounded by a fleshy, edible covering. Animals such as baboon, monkeys, bushpig, nyala and eland eat the fruit. The leaves are a popular food source for browsers such as duiker, kudu, impala, steenbok, nyala and elephant. It is believed that various insects pollinate the flowers.
Common names: Spiny/Green Monkey Orange (English) Doringklapper (Afrikaans) Morapa (NS) umKwakwa (Swaziland) Nsala (Tswana) Mutamba (Shona) Maboque (Angola) Eguni (sing)/Maguni (pl) (Namibia) iHlala (isiZulu) Kikwakwa (Kiswahili) Massala (Mozambique Portuguese), Fole (Guinea Bissau).
Distribution
This tree can be found growing singly in well-drained soils. It is found in bushveld, riverine fringes, sand forest and coastal bush from the Eastern Cape to Kwazulu-Natal northwards to Mozambique, and inland to Swaziland, Zimbabwe, northern Botswana northern Namibia, Angola to tropical Africa, and north west Madagascar. It is able to grow in semi-arid and arid lands.
Uses
A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known fruit has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.[1]
- The wood can be used for general carpentry. Timber from this tree is also used to produce implement handles, fighting sticks and hut poles. It is also used for carving.
- The species has recently been introduced into Israel as a potential new commercial crop.
- The fruit may be used as a supplementary source of food by rural people during times of shortage.
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Ripe fruit of the Strychnos spinosa tree.
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Rotten fruit of the Strychnos spinosa tree.
References
- ↑ National Research Council (2008-01-25). "Monkey Oranges". Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits. Lost Crops of Africa 3. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-10596-5. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
External links
- Sitrit Y, Loison S, Ninio R et al. (October 2003). "Characterization of monkey orange (Strychnos spinosa Lam.), a potential new crop for arid regions". J. Agric. Food Chem. 51 (21): 6256–60. doi:10.1021/jf030289e. PMID 14518952.
- plantzafrica description
- New Fruits for Arid Climates
- Strychnos spinosa information from NPGS/GRIN
- FAO: State of Forest Genetic Resources in Kenya