Esel-wood
Cadaba farinosa
Family: Capparaceae
What it is like
A slender tangled shrub. The branches arch over. It grows 1-4 m high. It can be 7.5 m high. The bark is grey and has strong grooves. The branches are stiff and sharp. The leaves are oval and greyish-green. The tip is rounded. The flowers are yellow-green. The fruit are 4-5 cm long. They are orange inside.
There are about 30 Cadaba species. They are in Africa and Asia.
Where it is found
A tropical and subtropical plant. It grows in deciduous wooded grassland. It also grows in coastal bushland. In East Africa it grows from sea level to 1,700 m altitude. It grows in the Sahel. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 200-500 mm per year. It can grow in arid places. It grows in areas with a mean annual temperature of 29°C.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Arabia, Asia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Congo DR, Djibouti, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, India, Iran, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia
How it is used for food
The leaves are pounded and eaten in couscous. The young leaves are used fresh and dried as flavouring. The bark is eaten with cereals. The flowers are crushed and used to flavour and sweeten scones of millet flour. The fruit are used in cake.
It is a famine food.
Edible parts
Leaf extract, fruit, shoot, flowers, leaves, twigs, vegetable, bark
How it is grown
Plants can be grown by seeds.
Its other names
Local names
Adamorinika, Anaedo, Annet, Bagayi, Baggahi, Cana macays, Chegaviche, Chepulus, Chepiti-suwo, Debarka, Dekoku, Dhiitacab, Dumaay, Fura, Habab, Kattagatti, Kattakatti, Keunya, Kibalazi-mwitu, Kodhab, Luqata sigmama, Muare, Mvunja-vumo, Numhele, Ol-amalogi, Sonwan, Umuvutavuta, Vili, Viludi, Zram
Synonyms
Cadaba indica Lam.; Cadaba mombassana Gilg. et Benedict;