Forest Natal mahogany, White mahogany
Trichilia dregeana

Family: Meliaceae

What it is like

A very large tree. It grows up to 30 m tall. The bark is grey and smooth. The trunk can have small buttresses. The leaves are made up of 3-4 pairs of leaflets and a leaflet at the end. The leaflets are 21 cm long by 8.5 cm wide. They are dark glossy green above. The flowers are large and creamy-white. The petals are up to 2.4 cm long. They occur in short branched sprays in the axils of leaves. These are 5 cm long. The fruit is an almost round creamy-brown capsule. It is 3 cm across. It splits into 3-4 valves. The seeds are black and covered by a red seed coat (aril).

There are about 92 Trichilia species. They grow in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in evergreen forest. It grows between 775-1,525 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zululand, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten after removing the seed coat. The red aril is cooked as a vegetable. The seeds are rich in fat and used in cooking.

The seeds and the oil are sold in local markets. It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Seeds, aril, fruit, oil

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds. Seeds need to be sown fresh. It can be cut back and will re-grow.

In Tanzania fruit are collected from April to July. Dried seeds can be stored for several months.

Its other names

Local names

Cape-mahogany, Christmas-bells, Forest mahogany, Gereche, Kamoko, Kampakampaka, Luyaa, Mbamba, Mkungwina, Mnyongayonga, Mogotlho, Muchiquiri, Mulahu, Mushikiri, Mutshikili, Ngolimazi, Sekoba, Uagon, Umkuhlo, Yuya

Synonyms

Trichilia chirindensis Swynnerton & E.G. Baker; Trichilia dregeana Sond. var. oblonga Sond.; Trichilia dregei E. Mey.; Trichilia schliebenii Harms; Trichilia splendida A. Chev.; Trichilia strigulosa Welw. ex C. DC.; Trichilia umbrosa Vermoes.; Trichilia vestita C. DC.; Trichilia grotei Harms;