Bitter-kola
Garcinia afzelii

Family: Clusiaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows 12 m high. The trunk is short and the crown is rounded. The bark is warted and strips off easily. The leaves are 6-13 cm long by 2.5-6 cm wide. They taper to the tip. They are wedge shaped at the base and leathery. The flowers are greenish to yellow. They can be 2.5 cm across. The stalks are 6 mm long. The fruit are brownish-yellow. They are almost round and 2.5 cm across. They contain 2-4 seeds.

There are about 200-300 Garcinia species. They are tropical. Also put in the family Hypericaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edge of the evergreen forest in damp places in West Africa.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial-Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

In Central African Republic fruit have been recorded in May.

Its other names

Local names

Kar, Kollopello, Kouru, Nsokodua, Okuta, Ta-sagbe

Synonyms

Garcinia antidysenterica A. Chev.; Garcini mannii Oliv.;