Lannea velutina

Family: Anacardiaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It grows 15 m tall. The trunk is 45 cm across. The bark is smooth and grey. The leaves are alternate and compound. There are leaflets along the stalk. There are 3-5 pairs of leaflets and one at the end. The leaflets are 4-12 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. They have a velvety covering underneath. Male and female flowers are on separate trees. The flowers are in a spike like group. This is 15 cm long. They have brown hairs. The fruit is oval and fleshy. They are 8-10 mm long by 6-7 mm wide. There are 4 teeth at the tip. They are softly hairy and yellow to red.

The bark is used for dye. The leaves are used as medicine.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in woody savannah. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, West Africa

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bakorompekou, Bembei, Bembem-hei, Bembo, Bemebdje, Betolodje, Dembei, Doto, Mantede, Raisinier velu, Sinsa, Tchingole, Tchuco

Synonyms

Calesiam velutinum (A. Rich.) Kuntze; Oldina velutina (A. Rich.) Oliv.;