Craibia brownii

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows 24 m tall. The bark is pale grey. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are compound with leaflets along the stalk and one at the end. There are 3-9 leaflets. The leaf stalk is about 2 cm long. The leaves are about 12 cm long. The leaflets are 4-15 cm long by 2-7 cm wide. They have a wedge shaped base and taper to the tip. The flowers contain both sexes. They can be blue, pink or white. The fruit are on short stalks. They are flat pods 5-10 cm long and 2-4 cm wide. The pod is unequal and open with the sides twisting. There are 2-3 seeds. The seeds are 17 mm long and 15 mm wide.

There are 10 Craibia species. They grow in tropical Africa.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry and moist forest and along rivers. It grows between 1,100-2,200 m altitude. It is in areas with a rainfall of 850-1,400 mm per year.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten after long cooking.

Edible parts

Seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Craibia elliottii Dunn;