Harrisonia abyssinica

Family: Rutaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It keeps its leaves throughout the year. It can be climbing. It grows 6 m high The larger branches have thorns 2 cm long. These are on cone shaped corky growths. The branches are long and flexible. The leaves are alternate and compound. They have 2-7 pairs of leaflets and one at the end. The leaves are 25 cm long. The leaflets are almost round and 1-9 cm long by 1-4 cm wide. They are unequal at the base. There can be teeth along the edge. The flowers contain both sexes. They are grouped on shoots 2-14 cm long in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. The fruit have 4-8 lobes and are a berry. They are 4-9 mm across. They turn red or black when ripe. They are fleshy and have 4-8 seeds.

There are 3 Harrisonia species. The roots are used in medicine. Also put in the family Simaroubaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry evergreen forest. It grows from sea level to 1,700 m altitude. It can form dense thickets on poor eroded soils. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 150-2,000 mm per year.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit, roots

How it is grown

It can be grown from seeds or stem cuttings. Stem cuttings root easily when treated with rooting hormone.

Its other names

Local names

Baingou, Kadhatula, Mkidori, Mkiliulu, Mkoromando, Mkusu, Mpapuradoko, Msamburini, Msangalasa, Msoma, Mucudo, Mucuto, Umugaanzacyaaro

Synonyms

Harrisonia occidentalis Engl.;