Lannea schimperi

Family: Anacardiaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It grows 8 m tall. The bark is dark and cracked into squares. The trunk is 45 cm across. The young leaves have a dense hairy brown covering, especially underneath. The leaves have 3-4 pairs of leaflets. The flowers are yellow and in narrow spike like groups. The fruit are about 1 cm across.

The bark is used in medicine.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands and the highlands. It grows in the savannah in West Africa. In Kenya it grows on sandy soils between 750-1,900 m altitude. It is often on rocky hillsides.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Cameroon, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten. The inner bark is used for tea.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, bark - tea

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Amzak, Anderaku, Atab-hassu, Cheprukwa, Cheprukwo, Chiumbu, Dareku, Dobbe, Dukit, Gumbel, Imimuna, Kaumbu, M'oooomboo, Mbuluzigi, Mghumbu, Mgumbu, Muwundu, Nachimbu, Ngikinywa, Oraiyta, Tsarmai, Tsarmaumo, Umumuuna

Synonyms

Odina schimperi Hochst.;