Forest red-fingers, Striped African pepper
Xylopia longipetala

Family: Annonaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It can grow 17 m high. The bark is smooth and in thin layers. The leaves are 4-11 cm long by 1-4 cm wide. The flowers have slender stalks 12 mm long. The fruit are cylinder shaped and 4 cm long by 2 cm wide. They have ridges along them.

It is used in medicine.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows on the edges of lowland rain-forests in West Africa. It can be in savannah. It grows between 30-700 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guiana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South America, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, West Africa, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds - spice, fruit - flavouring

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Abaa-kokoo, Aghako, Bosobul biehu, Bulev beyne, Erinje, Eru, Gyambobre, Jar, Kaanifin, Kimbaa, Mirikiriki, Nja-hewe, Nkala, Obaa-kokoo, Rutanda, Sesedo, Tshabola buanda, Wile, Yi-kandi-kone

Synonyms

Unona parviflora (A. Richard) Steudel; Uvaria parviflora A. Richard; Xylopia parviflora (A. Rich.) Benth. [Illegitimate]; Xylopia vallotii Chipp ex Hutch. & Dalziel; Xylopicrum parviflorum (A. Richard) Kuntze;