Oldfieldia dactylophylla
Family: Picrodendraceae
What it is like
A small tree. It grows 15 m high. It loses many leaves during the year. The trunk is short and is usually swollen at the base. The crown is flattened due to spreading branches. The small branches are thick and have red-brown hairs. The bark is grey and scaly with deep cracks. The leaves are compound with leaflets like fingers on a hand. There are 3-7 unequal leaflets. They are dark green and leathery. They are shiny above and have brown hairs underneath. The leaves have stalks 1 cm long. The flowers are very small. Male and female flowers are on separate trees. Female flowers occur singly and male flowers are in dense clusters. They are orange-brown. The fruit is round and a dull yello-green colour. They are 2 cm across and have soft hairs. The fruit break open to release the seeds.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows in the savannah. It grows in Miombo woodland.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Central Africa, East Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia
How it is used for food
The pulp of the fruit is edible. The ripe fruit are eaten and the seeds discarded.
The fruit are eaten especially by children.
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Plants can be grown by seeds.
In Tanzania the fruit are collected from April to May.
Its other names
Local names
Kamondo, Mkalanga, Mliwanfwengi, Msamina, Mulifangwengi