Damson
Dacryodes klaineana

Family: Burseraceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows to 25 m high. The trunk is 1 m across. It has fewer leaflets than Dacryodes edulis. The leaves are compound with 2-4 pairs of pointed leaflets and one at the end. The leaves are 15-45 cm long. The leaflets are 20 cm long by 9 cm wide. The flowers are pale yellow in branched flower arrangements. The fruit are also smaller. The fruit are 1.5-2 cm across. They are softly hairy with a fibrous pulp. There is one seed per fruit.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in deciduous forests and along the edges of forests in West Africa. It does not grow in very dry forests. It grows in poor acidic soils. It grows between 100-700 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Sierra Leone, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw.

Fruit are sold in local markets. They are commonly eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown by seeds. They can be in shade.

In Sierra Leone and Liberia, it fruits in December and January.

Its other names

Local names

Abatom, Adjouaba, Krindja, Mgbin, Mugninga, Nom atom, Nom eba, Nom ebap, Orumu egbo, Puway-chua, Se, Smah

Synonyms

Dacryodes barteri (Engl.) H. J. Lam; Dacryodes zenkeri (Engl.) H. J. Lam; Pachylobus klaineanus (Pierre) Engl.; Pachylobus barteri Engl.; Pachylobus zenkeri Engl.; Pachylobus deliciosa (A. Chev. ex Hutch. & Dalziel) Pellegr.; Sorindeia deliciosa A. Chev. ex Hutch. & Dalziel; Santiriopsis klaineana Pierre; and others