Monkey Star apple
Chrysophyllum perpulchrum

Family: Sapotaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 25-30 m high. It can have buttresses at the base. The trunk can be 1 m across. The leaves have a reddish-brown covering. The leaves are large and 15-22 cm long and 6-8 cm wide. They have 15-20 side veins. The flowers are in clusters and have a rusty covering. The fruit do not have stalks. They are round and 2.5 cm across. They have a rusty covering.

There are about 80-150 Chrysophyllum species. They are mostly in tropical America. There are 44 species in tropical America.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in a range of forests in West Africa, especially dry and semi-dry forests. It is best in deep soils and usually on slopes.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The fruit is only occasionally eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. They take 18 days to germinate. Seedlings need light to grow.

In Sierra Leone flowering occurs at the beginning of the dry season. Fruit are ripe in February and March. In Central African Republic fruiting is spread throughout the year.

Its other names

Local names

Abam, Abam evele, Atabene, Bunjii, Longji

Synonyms

Chrysophyllum africanum var. orientale Engl.; Gambeya perpulchra (Mildbr. ex Hutch. & Dalziel) Aubrev. & Pellegr.;