Ehretia cymosa var. silvatica

Family: Boraginaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows up to 12-20 m tall. The bark is smooth and grey. The young branches are covered with white hairs. The leaves are oval and pointed. They are 7.5-20 cm long and 3-7.5 cm wide. The leaves are rough and dark green above but paler underneath. The veins are prominent underneath. The flowers are white and without stalks. They occur as many flowers together on the ends of branches. The fruit are orange red berries. They are 1 cm across. The fruit enclose four separate small nuts. The fruit is edible.

There are about 75 Ehretia species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in areas with a rainfall of 1300-2000 mm per year. They usually grow on the edge of the forest. In East Africa it grows between 1,100-2,300 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The fruit can be eaten but is very acid. The stem is chewed.

Edible parts

Fruit, stem

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Endalati-ekolok, Game, Murembu, Musuga, Okosua

Synonyms

Ehretia silvatica Gurke;