False abura
Mitragyna inermis

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 16 m high. The trunk is 60 cm across. The branches are low. The crown is round. The leaves are narrowly oval and 6-9 cm long by 4-5 cm wide. They are hairy on the veins underneath the leaf. Young leaves are red. The flowers occur singly at the ends of branches. They are cream coloured. They have a strong scent. The fruit are round and dark brown. They are 1.5 cm across. They are made of many small capsules with 2 valves each with many winged seeds.

There are 10 Mitragyna species. They occur in Africa and Asia.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in Nigeria (Kano State, northern). It grows in the Sahel. It grows in damp flooded sites and in swampy savannah. It can also grow on the inland side of coastal mangroves. It can tolerate salty soils.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds, leaves

How it is grown

It can be grown from root suckers. It can be cut back and re-grows.

Its other names

Local names

Bore, Coile, Conde, Djugho, Gbehoun bgerou, Giyayya, Jungo, Kawi, Ofede, Pau-de-motom

Synonyms

Mitragyna africana (Willd.) Korth.; Nauclea africana Willd.; Uncaria inermis Willd.;