Dialium pachyphyllum

Harms

FabaceaeFruit

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Jan Klein & West & Central Africa program

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit is eaten, with a acidic, powdery flesh.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in the rainforest. It suits humid locations.

Africa, Central Africa, Congo DR, Congo R,

Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A small tree. It grows 20 m high. The fruit is a small pod. It has a velvety covering and one seed. There is some dry, powdery flesh. This is brown and acidic.

How to Grow

Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Other Uses

The heart wood is light pinkish-brown to brown or red-brown, sometimes very dark; it is clearly demarcated from the 4 - 8cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight to entangled. The wood is heavy to very heavy, hard to very hard, elastic; it is very durable, even in fresh water, resisting attacts by fungi, dry wood borers and termites. The wood seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is poorly stable in service. It has a high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct. The wood is used for purposes such as construction (including in contact with fresh water), heavy flooring, turnery, railway sleepers, exterior panelling and joinery, sliced veneer.

Production

Plants grow slowly. They fruit after 7 years.

Notes

Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Bilili, Kpolo

References (5)

Danforth, R.M., & Boren, P.D., 1997, Congo Native fruits. Twenty-five of the best. Privately published. p 68
Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53:468. 1915
Liengola, I. B., 2001, A contribution to the study of native edible plants by the Turumbu and Lokele of the Tshopo District, Province Orientale, D. R. Congo. Syst. Geogr. Pl. 71:687-698
Moutsambote, J., 1996, Vegetation forestiere et plantes alimentaires de la region de la Sangha. Chp. 11 of Bien Manger et Bien Vivre. ORSTOM p 119
Nkeoua, G. & Boundzanga, G. C., 1999, Donnees sur les produits forestieres non ligneux en Republique du Congo. FAO. p 24