Brick-red ochna
Ochna schweinfurthiana

Family: Ochnaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It grows 3-7 m high. The bark is dark grey and thick. It is cracked. It separates into square segments. The leaves are oval and 5-13.5 cm long by 1.7-5.5 cm wide. The are olive green with net veins. The leaf tapers to the leaf stalk. The flowers are bright yellow. They are 1.5 cm across. They are sweetly scented. They appear in dense groups of 4-10 flowers on a short central stalk. The fruit usually have 2-4 separate carpels each oval and 9 mm long by 7 mm wide. These are black when mature.

There are 90 Ochna species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows over a range of altitudes in open deciduous woodland. It grows in stony soils between 750-1,675 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from fresh seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Lakama, Muhara, Mulucamo, Muminu, Mungundanguluwe, Munyagu, Muparamhozva, Murambambare, Musvodzabveni, Muvezeramhanga, Nanipurrure, Umdlonza, Umukaanja

Synonyms

Ochna cyanophylla N. K. B. Robson;