Red milkwood
Mimusops kummel

Family: Sapotaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It can grow to 35 m tall. The trunk can be 1 m across. The crown of the tree is leafy and oval. The bark is dark grey, rough and deeply grooved. The small branches have red brown hairs. The leaves are oval and 10 cm long. The tip is blunt. The midrib under the leaf is hairy. The leaf stalk is 15 mm long. The flowers are creamy white. They occur as 1-4 flowers together in the axils of the leaves. They are on stalks 2-5 cm long. The flowers have a smell. The fruit is fleshy with a stone containing a kernel. It is 2 cm across. The fruit is orange-yellow and pointed. It contains one red brown seed.

There are 55 Mimusops species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows near rivers and in dry evergreen forest in Africa. It prefers a dry climate. In Tanzania it grows between 500-2,100 m above sea level. It occurs across the Sahara.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit is eaten raw. Unripe fruit are buried in the soil until ripe. The inner bark is used for tea. The young leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The seeds are roasted and eaten.

The fruit are commonly eaten in East Africa. The fruit tends to dry out the mouth.

Edible parts

Fruit, bark - tea, leaves, seeds

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed. It is best to remove the outer coat to release the seed. Plants can be pruned or topped. Seeds germinate after 18-45 days.

In Tanzania ripe fruit are available from October to December. The dried fruit can be stored for several months.

Its other names

Local names

Achak, Aitareng, Eshe, Gosho, Gurcho, Ishe, Mimusops, M'nyenvee, Nyabondo, Olati, Qoolati, Shemiya, Tuleta, Tulukanta, Woni, Yelow eta

Synonyms

Mimusops kilimandscharica Engl.; Mimusops fragrans (Baker) Engl.; Mimusops langenburgiana Engl.; Mimusops pohlii Engl.;