Sugar plum
Uapaca guineensis

Family: Phyllanthaceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows up to 30 m high. The trunk is straight and it often branches low down. The trunk has stilt roots. The bark is reddish-brown. The young twigs have short hairs at first. The leaves are 6-30 cm long by 2.5-12.5 cm wide. The leaves are thin and wavy. They are dark green and glossy. The leaf stalk is 1-3 cm long. The flowers are yellow. The male heads are 6 mm across. The female flower has an ovary covered with small glands as spots. The fruit have warts on their surface. They are round and 2.5 cm across. They contain 3-4 seeds. The fruit are edible.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the rainforest. It suits humid locations. It is common along rivers. It grows from sea level to 1,100 m altitude. It grows in seasonally flooded forest.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw. The pulp is sweet. It is also used to make a drink.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed. Fresh seed need to be used. Seeds do not store well. It can be grown by cuttings.

In Central African Republic plants have been observed flowering January to March.

Its other names

Local names

Abo-emido, Assam, Bichine, Bossambi, Bupoko, Do'bo, Iagale, Kasela-kulongo, Kidianga, Kondii, Kontan, Kuntan, Lesambo, Lissamba, Musela, N'chambana, N'sanvi, Oyen, Psegha, Rikio, Samfi, Sengui

Synonyms

Antidesma guineensis G. Don ex Hook.; Uapaca lissopyrena Radcl.-Sm.; Uapaca mole Pax; and others