Monkey Fruit
Dactyladenia barteri

Family: Chrysobalanaceae

What it is like

Monkey Fruit (Dactyladenia barteri) can be a climbing shrub or a small tree of up to 12 m tall with a dense and spreading crown. Its trunk is crooked and fluted, up to 40 cm in diameter. It is usually found in western tropical Africa. The plant has an extensive, deep root system making it ideal for soil erosion control. The bark and roots are used medicinally to treat a wide range of ailments. The wood can be used as poles and for constructions and fuel. It is resistant to termites, hard, and durable.

Dactyladenia barteri is an evergreen Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Red ants, Bees, Wasps. It can fix Nitrogen. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 10

Where it is found

Lowland forest with at least 1,200mm rainfall per year. In the forest-savannah transition zone, it is found along riverbanks, sometimes on the inland side of mangrove forest.

Western tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Nigeria, south to Gabon and Congo.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Benin; Cameroon; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Liberia; Nigeria; Sierra Leone; Togo

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

The bark and roots are used medicinally as a purgative and against a variety of ailments.

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Other

Rating: 4

Agroforestry Uses: The shrubs have an extensive, deep root system that holds the soil and so can be used in schemes to prevent soil erosion. The tree produces large amounts of litter and recycles appreciable quantities of nutrients through its deep root system, whilst its dense canopy aids in weed suppression. It has shown promise as mulch and soil regenerator because of its slow decomposition rate. The stems provide good quality poles for staking yams and for construction. The tree is planted in hedgerows in a traditional alley cropping system with inter-hedgerow spacing of 2 - 3 metres and with 1 - 2 years of cropping followed by 3 - 4 years of fallow. Following the fallow period, the shrubs are underbrushed and burned and stems cut to a height of 10 - 20cm. Some stems are left uncut for live staking of Guinea yam (Dioscorea cayenensis). Crops are then interplanted in the alleys. Other Uses: The dark red wood is hard, durable and resistant to termite attack. The stems provide good quality poles for staking crops and are also used for construction work. The wood is used for fuel.

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

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Mulch: Used for covering the ground to conserve the nutrients in the soil.

Plant support: Usually bamboos, used as canes in the garden for holding up plants.

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

Soil reclamation: Plants that can be grown in such circumstances an the spoil tips of mines in order to restore fertility.

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.

Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife

Hedge: Hedge

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

A plant of the moist, lowland tropics, being found at elevations below 300 metres. It grows in areas where the mean annual temperature is in the range 20 - 34°c, and the mean annual rainfall is 750 - 1,500 mm. Well adapted to leached, acid and infertile (ultisols) soils, the plant can also survive occasional flooding. Established trees coppice well, even after pollarding or burning, and are fire resistant. Planted at 4 metres x 4metres, this species can produce 6 tonnes per hectare dry prunings, 4 tonnes of twigs and 9 tonnes of wood within 8 months. It has been suggested that Dactyladenia lehmbachii and Dactyladenia pallescens, which flower in the same period, may cross-pollinate with this species.

Propagating it: Seed - germinates readily. Direct sowing is possible but seedlings survive better when raised in nursery bags before planting out. Seed germinates readily and can be stored for up to 6 months at 15°c when treated with copper sulphate. Occasionally, stakes are used as cuttings in live fence systems. Juvenile stem cuttings will also root quickly at the peak of the rainy season.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Acioa barteri (Hook.f. ex Oliv.) Engl. Acioa lanceolata Engl. Acioa tenuiflora Dinkl. & Engl. Griffo