Common pheasant-berry, Peacock berry
Margaritaria discoidea

Family: Phyllanthaceae

What it is like

It can be a shrub but also a large tree. It can be 8 m high or 20 m high. The bark is pale grey and smooth. In large trees with buttresses the bark can be rough. The leaves are oval and 2-8 cm long by 1.3-4 cm wide. They can be larger in large trees. The leaves are bright green. The edges roll under. The flowers are small and greenish-yellow. The sexes are on different trees. Male flowers are many and in the axils of leaves. Female flowers occur in pairs in the axils of leaves. The fruit is a 3 lobed capsule. It is yellow and 10 mm across. They turn blue when ripe. There are 6-8 seeds per fruit. There are several varieties.

There are about 14 Margaritaria species. They grow in the tropics. It is a host to a fungus that can damage cacao.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in damper sites of the savannah and closed secondary forest in West Africa. In Zimbabwe it grows up to 1,700 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten cooked.

Edible parts

Fruit, wood ash - salt

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. The seeds are soaked in water overnight before planting.

Its other names

Local names

Ashasha, Asiyin, Be, Budela, Cocuer, Ebegeng, Kango, Kinsende, Lie, N'nakali, Pepea, Vino

Synonyms

Cicca discoidea Baill.; Phyllanthus discoideus (Baill.) Muell.-Arg.; Phyllanthus flacourtioides Hutch. var. nitida (Pax) Radcl.-Sm.;