Vegetable tallow tree, Ouotera
Allanblackia parviflora

Family: Clusiaceae

What it is like

Allanblackia parviflora is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), 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 semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 20

Where it is found

Undergrowth in rain and secondary forest; at elevations up to 250 metres. Most abundant in wet evergreen forest zone, especially on slopes and away from disturbed areas. Less common in semi-deciduous forest.

West tropical Africa - Guinea to Ghana.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, West Africa.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

The fat obtained from the seed, known as 'allanblackia fat' or 'beurre de bouandjo' in Congo, is used in food preparation. Recently, the international food industry has become interested in the fat as a natural solid component for margarines and similar products. The seeds contain a fat that is solid at ambient temperatures. The kernel, which makes up about 60% of the seed, contains about 72% fat. The fatty acid composition of the fat is approximately: stearic acid 45 - 58% and oleic acid 40 - 51%. Only traces of other fatty acids are present. Its composition and relatively high melting point (35°c) makes the fat a valuable raw material that can be used without transformation to improve the consistency of margarines, cocoa butter substitutes and similar products. Fruits are stored under a cover of leaves to allow the fruit pulp to disintegrate. To extract the seeds, fruits are crushed between the hands and seeds are rubbed clean. To extract the fat, seeds are dried and crushed; the resulting mass is mixed with water and boiled until the fat separates and floats to the surface, from where it is scooped off. More modern hydraulic and screw press equipment is now also used. The seeds are eaten in times of food scarcity. The fruit’s slimy pulp can be made into jams and jellies. The fruit is large, up to 30cm long by 10cm in diameter with upward of 100 seeds borne within in a translucent mucilage.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 2

A decoction of the inner bark is taken to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and stomach aches. A decoction of the inner bark is used as a mouthwash to relieve the pain of toothache. The bark is anodyne. A decoction of the bark or leaves is taken to treat asthma, bronchitis and cough. The bark is pounded and rubbed on the body to relieve painful conditions. Sap squeezed from the bark is a component of a medicine used to treat urethral discharge. Sap expressed from a crushed up mixture of the bark, combined with that of Mammea africana, maleguetta and sugar-cane, is taken as a remedy for urethral discharge. A decoction of the whole fruit is used to relieve elephantiasis of the scrotum, though this may simply be based on the Theory of Signatures because of the size and shape of the fruit. A prenylated xanthone, named allanxanthone A, has been isolated from the bark, as well as 1,5-dihydroxyxanthone and 1,5,6-trihydroxy-3, 7-dimethoxyxanthone. The compounds isolated showed moderate in-vitro cytotoxicity against the KB cancer cell line. Plant material from the Congo (this would be of A. Floribunda) has been reported to contain abundant flavonins in the bark and roots, some tannins, and traces of steroids and terpenes. An alkaloid has been reported in the fruit-sap, a derivative of tryptophane and related to eseroline found in the Calabar bean, Physostigma venenosum and is mildly stimulatory.

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

Other

Rating: 2

An oil obtained from the seeds is used for soap making and in the cosmetics industry. The twigs are used as candlesticks. Smaller twigs are used as chew-sticks and tooth-picks. The inner bark contains a sticky yellow resin. The heartwood is pale red or brown; it is clearly demarcated from the whitish sapwood. The wood is fairly hard, resinous, moderately heavy. It is said to be resistant to termites but is not particularly durable. It is fairly easy to work and finishes well but it is of little commercial importance though it has appeared on the market in Liberia as ‘lacewood’. It has an attractive figure when quarter-sawn, and is suitable for carpentry. The wood is used in hut-building for making walls, doors and window-frames and planks. Small trees are cut for poles and find use as mine pit-props and bridge-piles.

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.

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

New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.

Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).

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

New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.

Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).

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

How it is grown

Found in the wild on strongly leached, acid soils with a pH in the range 3.8 - 4.1. The tree has brittle branches and requires a position sheltered from strong winds. The degree of maturity of fruits on the tree can not be estimated; therefore mature fruits are left to drop to the ground and are then collected. The fat from the seeds of Allanblackia parviflora is very similar in composition to that of Allanblackia floribunda and Allanblackia stuhlmannii.

Propagating it: Seed - germination can take 24 - 30 months and germination rates are very low. Keeping the fruits for a few months on damp sites (covered with banana leaves and buried partially) and scarification of the seedcoat improve germination rates only slightly. Methods of propagation by cuttings and grafting are being developed.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

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

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

No synonyms are recorded for this name.