False chewstick
Garcinia smeathmannii

Family: Clusiaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows to 20 m high. The trunk is straight and the branches are horizontal. The trunk is 50 cm across. The bark is grey and rough. The leaves are 12-30 cm long and 5-10 cm wide. The clusters of flowers occur in pairs. There are 30 flowers in a cluster. The flowers are white or cream. The fruit are round and 2.5 cm across. The pulp and seeds are edible.

There are about 300 Garcinia species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in forest. It is usually near streams in lowlands and uplands up to 1,300 m altitude in West Africa. In Nigeria it has been recorded up to 1,670 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, West Africa, Zambia

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten fresh.

Edible parts

Seeds, fruit

How it is grown

In Central African Republic flowers have been recorded from January to March.

Its other names

Local names

Afon, Aliga, Eru orogbo, Gambe, Leni, Macacundje, Mduma, Mfilafila, Mpekechu, Mtumbu, N'tchocodo, N'tcocodo, Umusalasi

Synonyms

Garcinia barteri Oliv.; Garcinia chevalierana Hochr.; Garcinia chevalieri Engl. ex R. E. Fr.; Garcinia guineensis (D. Don) Vesque; Garcinia lualabensis Engl.; Garcinia mbulwe Engl.; Garcinia neolivingstonei Spirlet; Garcinia pierreana De Wild.; Garcinia polyantha Oliv.; Garcinia sereti De Wild.; Garcinia sereti var. intermedia De Wild.; Garcinia smeathmannii var. exigua Spirlet; Garcinia smeathmannii var. orientalis Spirlet; Garcinia stolzii Engl.; Rheedia smeathmanii Planch. & Triana;