Niger plum
Flacourtia flavescens

Family: Salicaceae

What it is like

A spiny shrub or small tree. It can grow 10 m high. It is usually straggling with drooping branches. The leaves are 3.5-13 cm long by 2.5-7.5 cm wide. They are pale green and glossy above. There are teeth along the edge. The flowers are small and lack petals. They are greenish. The fruit are red or purple and 12 mm across. They are round when fresh but become angled when dry.

There are about 17 Flacourtia species. Name unresloved in The Plant List but may be a synonym of Flacourtia indica. Also put in the Flacourtiaceae family.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows on the edges of forests and in rocky situations in the savannah region.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

It is a commonly used fruit in West Africa. Fruit tend to be available in the drier more hungry season.

Edible parts

Berry, fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Osere

Synonyms

Flacourtia edulis Schumach. & Thonn.;