Saba
Saba comorensis

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A creeper or vine. It grows 30-40 m long. It can be 1.9 m around. The stems are purplish-red. It has white milky sap. The leaf blade is 7-20 cm long by 4-10 cm wide. They are oval. It often has tendrils. The flowers are large and white. They have a sweet scent. They are in large groups at the ends of branches. The fruit are round and 6 cm across. They are yellow or orange. The fruit are edible. The shell is hard and bitter. The pulp is soft and reddish. It contains seeds.

There are 3 Saba species. They occur in Africa.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in closed forest in West Africa and also in savannah woodland. It is often near the banks of streams. In Malawi it grows from 500-1,300 m altitude. In Tanzania it grows between up to 1,800 m above sea level and in areas with a rainfall between 1,200-2,400 mm. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Comoros, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Himalayas, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit is eaten raw. The seeds are discarded. The seeds are also eaten. The pulp is soaked in water, sugar added and the the juice drunk. The plant is used to make sour milk.

The fruit are enjoyed especially by children. Fruit tend to be available in the drier more hungry season.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. The seeds germinate more easily after passing through the gut of an animal. It can also be grown from cuttings.

Fruiting is seasonal. Fruit are collected at the end of the rainy season and beginning of the dry season. In Congo fruit are available July to October.

Its other names

Local names

Abo, Abool, Abukamira, Akontoma, Ambedumbedu, Apungwa, Ashama, Botofe, Caba-foro, Chiwo, Ciwo, Cohomo, Dboli, Dimputu, Ebeiye, Ekimune, Emago, Fomo, Fuya, Goriza, Ibo gidi, Ilombo, Ipungwa, Kalikedo, Kilia, Kiongwa, Komo, Kpase, Kuamu, Kyongoa, Libii, Lilimbo, Limbenbe, Liyo, Lizwana, Ma'a'asei, Mabungo makubwa, Mada, Makarasei, Makek, Mangocha, Mapa, Matakufepo, Mbungo, Mbungu, Mekek, Mongoa, Mtegeti, Mubungu, Muconja, Muhonga, Mungo, Mutaba, Muungo, Muzamera, Nakpa, Ndrigada, Ngombe, Pwomo, Tololo, Umubhungo, Wondo

Synonyms

Landolphia comorensis (Bojer ex A.DC.) K.Schum.; Landolphia comorensis var. florida (Benth.) K.Schum.; Landolphia cordata (Klotzsch) K.Schum.; Landolphia dubia Lassia; Landolphia florida Benth.; Landolphia florida var. comorensis (Bojer ex A.DC.) A.Chev.; Landolphia florida var. leiantha Oliv.; Landolphia mayottensis Pierre ex Poiss.; Pacouria comorensis (Bojer ex A.DC.) Roberty; Pacouria dubia (Lassia) Pichon; Pacouria florida (Benth.) Hiern; Saba comorensis var. comorensis; Saba comorensis var. florida (Benth.) Pichon; Saba florida (Benth.) Bullock; Vahea comorensis Bojer ex A.DC.; Vahea florida (Benth.) F.Muell.; Willughbeia cordata Klotzsch;