Artabotrys velutinus

Family: Annonaceae

What it is like

A creeper or climbing shrub. It grows 3-8 m long. The stems have dense rusty coloured hairs. The leaves are oblong to sword shaped and 5-15 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. The flowers are in groups of 1-9 flowers on hooked stalks. The fruit are green and turn red. They are oval and 1.3-1.9 cm long by 0.8-1.3 cm wide. There are 1-2 seeds. The seeds are dark.

The leaves are used as medicine.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In Sierra Leone it has been recorded at 1,100 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, Guinea, Guinée, Sierra Leone, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Medicine

How it is grown

Plants flower in June.

Its other names

Local names

Akoo-ano, Boile, Jiri-madanba, Wudi-madanba-na

Synonyms

Artabotrys boonei De Wild.; Artabotrys nigericus Hutch.; and others