Red Cedar, African almond
Heritiera utilis

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows 35 m tall. The trunk is crooked. It does not have branches for the first 20 m. It can be 150 cm or more across the trunk. It has high, thin buttresses. The crown is compact and rounded. The leaves are alternate. They can be simple or have lobes like the fingers on a hand. The leaf blade is 5-30 cm long and 2-10 cm wide if simple. There can be 5-7 leaflets. The flowers are of one sex. The male flowers are joined in a column while the female flowers are more loose. The fruit is 1-6 woody nuts. These are 2.5 cm long by 1.5 cm wide and have a large wing. The wing is 8 cm long by 3 cm wide. Probably now Tarrietia utilis

There are about 35 Heritiera species. Also put in the family Sterculiaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in moist forests in West Africa. It needs light to grow well. It grows in regions with 1,500-2,500 mm of rain per year.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked and eaten.

Seeds are sold in local markets

Edible parts

Seeds - oil, leaves, fruit

How it is grown

Plants grow from seeds. Seeds need to be planted fresh. They then germinate in 3-4 days. The seedlings have a taproot and side roots. Young leaves are simple and older leaves have 5 leaflets. Seedling leaflets are larger than mature leaflets.

Its other names

Local names

Foe, Harmon, Kpanda, Niango, Niangon, Nyankom, Pableeyea, Whismore

Synonyms

Tarrietia utilis (Sprague) Spague; Triplochiton utile Sprague;