Akee, ackee apple or ayee
Blighia sapida

Family: Sapindaceae

What it is like

An evergreen fruiting tree named in honour of Captain Willima Blight of the Bounty mutiny. A very decorative, vigorous species. In Jamaica Akee, along with mango and breasfruit, is the most common backyard tree.

Blighia sapida is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. The plant is not self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 20

Where it is found

Seasonally dry lowland woodland. Forest outliers on the savannah and drier parts of forests.

Western and central tropical Africa - Senegal to Cameroon and Gabon.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Mali, Martinique, Mexico, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South America, St Lucia, Sudan, Suriname, Trinidad, Togo, USA, Venezuela, West Africa, West Indies

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Fruit - eaten raw when fully ripe. The fleshy arils surrounding the seeds are firm and oily, with a nutty flavour, though they can soon become rancid. The fleshy fruit can also be curried, used in soups, stews, etc. The fruit is harvested when they have split open naturally, revealing four large glossy black seeds embedded in spongy, cream-coloured buttery arils. The pear-shaped fruit is about 75mm long, 45mm wide, and is produced in clumps of 3 - 10. The fruit must be allowed to open fully, or at least partly, before it is detached from the tree. Unripe or overripe arils, as well as the seeds, contain hypoglycin and its derivative - they are strongly toxic. The seeds yield a yellowish oil that is believed to be edible.

Oil: Oil

Medicine

Rating: 2

The plant (part not specified) is used to treat anaemia and itching. In traditional medicine in Cote d?Ivoire, Blighia sapida is widely used for the treatment of yellow fever, epilepsy and oedema, and as a laxative and diuretic. Sap from terminal buds is instilled in the eyes to treat ophthalmia and conjunctivitis. The pulp of ground-up leafy twigs is rubbed on the forehead to treat migraine. The ground-up leaves, combined with plant salts, are applied as a paste to treat yaws and ulcers. The leaves are used in the treatment of fever and vertigo, and twigs to treat hepatitis, cirrhosis and amygdalitis. Bark and leaf decoctions are administered to treat oedema, intercostal pain, dysentery and diarrhoea. Decoctions of bark or fruit walls are applied to wounds. Pounded bark is administered as an antidote to snake and scorpion bites. The bark, ground-up with capsicum pepper (Capsicum annuum), is rubbed on the body as a stimulant. The seeds are taken to treat stomach complaints, including nausea and vomiting. Aqueous seed extracts are administered to expel parasites. The fruit pulp is used to treat whitlow. A water-soluble and heat-stable toxic compound, hypoglycin A, is present in the aril of unripe seeds, as well as in the seed and in the pinkish to reddish tissue at the base of the aril. The Jamaican vomiting sickness is associated with this compound and is characterized by vomiting, generalized weakness, altered consciousness and sometimes even death. Hypoglycaemia and depression of the central nervous system are common. The aril of fully ripe seeds after natural dehiscence of the fruit is nearly free of the toxic compound. The consumption of unripe seed arils has probably caused many cases of encephalopathy in children in Burkina Faso and other West African countries.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Antipruritic: Treats itching of the skin.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Epilepsy: Used in the treatment of Epilepsy - a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.

Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.

Parasiticide: Treats external parasites such as ringworm This should perhaps be joined with Parasiticide in

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.

Other

Rating: 3

Design: Small shade tree; small fruiting tree; specimen tree; xerophytic. Agroforestry Uses: The tree is often planted to provide shade. It is considered useful for soil improvement and erosion control. Other Uses: The dried fruit husks are rich in potash; the ashes can be used in making soap. The flowers are used in the preparation of an aromatic water. Used as a cosmetic. The green fruits lather in warm water and are used as soap for washing and as a mordant for dyeing. The oil from the seeds are used in making traditional soap. The seeds contain about 26% of oil which is suitable for industrial applications. An ink for tattoos is made from the seeds. The heartwood is orange-brown or reddish brown; it is distinctly demarcated from the whitish sapwood. The texture is moderately coarse; the wood has little lustre. It is moderately heavy, hard, moderately durable and quite resistant to termite attack. It is easy to work with both machine and hand tools. The wood moulds and sands well and takes an attractive finish. The wood is mainly used for light construction and furniture, but sometimes also for casks, boxes, crates, food containers, packing cases, tool handles, paddles, pestles, mortars, handicrafts, carving and turnery. It is suitable for interior trim, joinery and railway sleepers. Dried fruit husks are rich in potash. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal. Wild fruit for birds and bats nectar for bees. A honey plant.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Containers: Plants, such as gourds, that can be used as containers. Does not include baskets or containers made from wood.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Ink: Plants that can be used as an ink.

Mordant: Used for making a dye more permanent, it also affects the colour of the dye.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Parasiticide: Kills external body parasites such as hair lice.

Potash: Used for making glass, soap and as a fertilizer.

Soap: Plants used directly as a soap substitute.

Soap making: Plants used as an ingredient in making soaps. Does not include the essential oils, dyes and oils that are also used in making soap.

Soil conditioner: Plants grown to improve the structure of the soil. See also Green manures.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Other Systems: Homegarden: Tropical multistrata agroforestry (multi-story combinations of trees, crops, domestic animals in the homestead).

Other Systems: Parkland: Africa - Trees scattered throughout cropland. An Irregular intercropping system.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Other Systems: Homegarden: Tropical multistrata agroforestry (multi-story combinations of trees, crops, domestic animals in the homestead).

Other Systems: Parkland: Africa - Trees scattered throughout cropland. An Irregular intercropping system.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.

Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

A plant of the drier to very wet lowland tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 900 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 24 - 27c, but can tolerate 20 - 34c. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -3c or lower, but young plants are intolerant of any frost. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 700 - 6,000mm. Grows best in a sunny position. Prefers a moist, loamy, fertile, well-drained soil. Plants can succeed in a range of soils, including infertile, rocky soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.3 - 8. Established plants are drought tolerant. Initial growth is fast on moderately fertile soils. Seedlings grow best in gaps in the forest canopy, with a mean annual height increment of 70cm. Plants can commence cropping when 3 - 4 years old from seed. The plant has been known to escape from cultivation when grown in sandy soils. Plants flower intermittently throughout the year. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Propagating it: Seed - they are sensitive to desiccation and are considered short-lived. It is recommended to sow them within a few days after extraction from the fruit. However, seeds can be kept for 3 months in moist storage at 21°c. Germination starts after 2 - 4 weeks, with a germination rate of 80%. Greenwood cuttings. Air layering Grafting

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Great care should be exercised if eating this fruit. It must only be eaten when fully ripe since both before and after that stage it is considered to be poisonous. A toxic peptide, hypoglycine A, is contained in the unripe aril. The pink raphe that attaches the aril to its seed is deadly toxic and must be carefully and completely removed. The pounded fruit is used as fish poison.

May be invasive

Its other names

Local names

Abai, Achee, Akee Apple, Aki, Akye, Akyen, Arbol de seso, Bien me sabe, Castanha, Finza, Finzan, Huevo vegetal, Ishin, Kaka, Merey del diablo, Otousi, Palo de seso, Pan y quesito, Pera roja, Seso vegetal, Vegetable brain

Synonyms

Akea solitaria Stokes Akeesia africana Tussac Cupania akeesia Cambess. ex Spach Cupania sapida (K.D.Koenig) Oken