Sandalwood padauk
Pterocarpus santalinoides

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A small evergreen tree. It grows 15 m tall. The trunk can be straight or twisted. It is 50 cm across. The bark is brown and scaly and flakes off in patches. When cut it exudes red gum. The crown is dense and the branches droop. The leaves are alternate and compound. There are 5-9 leaflets with a leaflet at the end. The leaflets are narrowly oval and 7-12 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. The base is rounded and they taper to a short tip. The flowers are in a group 6-14 cm long at the ends of branches. The flowers contain both sexes. They are dark yellow. The fruit is an almost round and flattened pod. It is 3-5 cm across. It is wrinkled. It has a keel like wing. There is one seed. The seed is kidney shaped and 2 cm long by 1 cm wide. It is dark brown.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in evergreen forests and near lakes and river banks in West Africa.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Africa, Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Colombia, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, French Guiana, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South America, Suriname, Togo, Venezuela, West Africa

How it is used for food

Roasted seeds are eaten. Caution: Raw seeds are toxic. Young leaves are cooked and eaten. They are added to soup. The fruit are eaten raw.

It is a commonly used fruit in West Africa. Leaves are sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Seeds, fruit, leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed, stem cuttings or root cuttings. Seeds should be soaked in water before planting. Seeds germinate in 7-14 days. Trees can be pruned or cut back and allowed to re-grow. Plants can be budded.

It is fast growing. Fruit matures 2-3 months after flowering. There is a flush of edible leaves during the dry season.

Its other names

Local names

Antante, Benganta, D'jega, D'jego, Dessa, Dessaha, Dexa, Djecudjecumadje, Djego, Ebontonton, Hote, Kereke, Kilaka, Kpesna, Mangantem, Mangantum, Mututi, N'tisebi, Nitichiba, Nturukpa, Siba, Sughun

Synonyms

Lingoum esculentum (Schum. & Thonn.) Kuntze; Pterocarpus amazonicus Huber; Pterocarpus esculentus Schum. & Thonn.; Pterocarpus grandis Cowan; Pterocarpus michelii Cowan; Pterocarpus michelii Britton;