Lepidotrichilia volkensii

Family: Meliaceae

What it is like

A shrub or tree. It keeps is leaves throughout the year. It grows up to 20 m tall. The trunk is often fluted. The bark is smooth and grey. The inner bark is red. The crown is spreading. The leaves are alternate and has 7-11 pairs of leaflets with a leaflet at the end. The leaflets are narrowly oval and 5-20 cm long by 2-8 cm wide. The flowers are in a group 25 cm long. They have yellowish-brown hairs. The fruit is a flattened round berry. It is 7-15 mm across. It has 2-3 seeds. They are 2-3 mm long.

There are 4 Lepidotrichilia species in Africa.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in mountain forest between 1,500-2,400 m altitude. It is in areas where the rainfall is 1,500-2,000 mm per year.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

How it is used for food

The fruit is eaten raw.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed. Self sown plants can be transplanted. Seeds can only be stored for a short time.

Its other names

Local names

Kijang, Umugayigayi, Xabbicho

Synonyms

Trichilia volkensii Gurke;