Sweet Prayer Plant, Katemfe
Thaumatococcus daniellii

Family: Marantaceae

What it is like

Thaumatococcus daniellii, otherwise known as Sweet Prayer Plant, is native to western part of Africa, from Sierra Leone to Zaire. It is a large flowering herb with rhizomatous rootstock, growing about 4 m in height. It is a natural source of thaumatin, a low-calorie sweetener and flavor modifier protein. The leaves are ovateelliptic, large, and papery. The flowers are purple which occur singly or in branched spikes. The fruits are covered in a fleshy red aril, trigonal in shape and dark red/brown when fully ripe. Each fruit contains three black, hard seeds which can be eaten raw or cooked. It can also be used as sweetener. The leaves, on the other hand, are used for wrapping foods and for boiling foods. Petiole is used as weaving materials for mats and as tools and building materials. Leaves area also used for roofing. T. daniellii is also used in traditional medicine as a laxative (fruits), as an emetic and for pulmonary conditions (seeds), as antidote against venoms, stings, and bites (leaf sap), and as sedative and for insanity treatment (leaf and root sap).

Thaumatococcus daniellii is an evergreen Perennial growing to 2 m (6ft) by 2 m (6ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 2

Where it is found

Tropical lowland rainforest. Forest clearings.

Western and central Tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Zaire.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa*, Asia, Australia, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, West Africa,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Seed - raw or cooked. A very sweet flavour. When the raw seed is chewed, it affects the taste buds so that, for about an hour thereafter, any sour foods that are eaten or drunk seem to have a sweet flavour. The seeds are also used for sweetening bread, fruits, tea etc. The aril of the seed contains a sweet-tasting protein (thaumatin) that can be used as a substitute for sugar, also in low caloric diets and drinks. Because of the persistent sweet aftertaste, it also 'sweetens' normally bitter or sour substances. Thaumatin is the sweetest of known natural and synthetic substances, 2,000 - 3,000 times sweeter than sucrose. The leaves are used for wrapping food. The report does not make it clear if the leaves are used to impart a flavour when cooking, or are merely used to wrap the food when it is stored.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Sweetener: includes sugar substitutes.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 3

Other Uses: The leaves are used as food wrappers, as a packing material and for roofing.

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

Packing: Used as a filler in boxes etc in order to protect the contents.

Roofing: Used to give a waterproof roof to buildings. See also Thatching.

How it is grown

A plant of the moist, lowland tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 21 - 30°c, but can tolerate 15 - 35°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,700 - 2,300mm, but tolerates 1,300 - 2,700mm. Requires a shady position. Plants can succeed in full sun as well as it shade. Prefers a well-drained, loamy to clayey soil. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 5, tolerating 4.3 - 7. First flowering starts 3 months after planting, but flowering is more abundant after about 1 year. Good fruits develop only in plants that are 2 years old or older. Young fruits mature in 13 weeks.

Propagating it: Seed - Rhizome cuttings.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Abieba, Etere, Katamfe, Katemfe, Lokongo, Ngongo, Nzilizili, Sweet prayer, ewe eran, ewe moi-moi, katamfe, miraculous fruit.

Synonyms

Donax daniellii (Benn.) Roberty Monostiche daniellii (Benn.) Horan. Phrynium daniellii Benn.