Multidentia crassa
(Hiern.) Bridson & Verdc.
(c) Nicholas Wightman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nicholas Wightman
(c) Troos van der Merwe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
Fruit - raw. The fleshy fruit have a sweet flavour and are eaten as a snack. The round fruit is up to 4cm in diameter, it can be green mottled brown; yellow; dull red; or brown spotted with white.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in open forest. It grows in Miombo woodland. In Tanzania it grows between 900-2,100 m above sea level.
Africa, Angola, Burundi, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, East Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A shrub or small tree. It grows 1-6 m tall. The bark on the main trunk is dark. It peels off to reveal a reddish colour. The leaves are mostly at the tips of the branches. The leaf blades are 3-28 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. They can vary in shape but can be almost round. The flowers are in groups in the axils of the leaves. The flowers have a woolly covering. The fruit is green with a mottled brown colour. It is 35-40 mm wide and edible.
Nutrition Score: 27/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 22.8 | 1416 | 339 | 0.2 | — | — | — | — |
How to Grow
The tree has a rough, thick, fire-resistant bark.
Medicinal Uses
The leaves are pounded, soaked in water and the juice applied into the ears to treat earache. The roots are used as medicine for treating earache, stomach-ache and intestinal worms.
Other Uses
The wood is used for spoons. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal.
Other Information
The fruit are quite well liked. Fruit are sold in local markets.
Names & Synonyms
Mandikite, Maviro, Mbewe, Mbilima, Mfilu, Mkangandembo, Mkukumaka, Mnonga, Munkolo-bondo, Muygoyogo, Mvilo, Mvingomba, Nyogoyogo
References (18)
- Dale, I. R. and Greenway, P. J., 1961, Kenya Trees and Shrubs. Nairobi. p 428 (As Canthium crassum)
- East African Herbarium records, 1981,
- FAO. 1983, Food and fruit-bearing forest species 1: Examples from Eastern Africa. FAO Food and Forestry Paper 44/1 p 31 (As Canthium crassum)
- Flora Zambesiaca. http://apps.kew.org/efloras
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 57
- Grivetti, L. E., 1980, Agricultural development: present and potential role of edible wild plants. Part 2: Sub-Saharan Africa, Report to the Department of State Agency for International Development. p 66 (As Canthium crassum)
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 124 (As Canthium crassum)
- Kakeya, 1976,
- Malaisse, F., 1997, Se nourrir en floret claire africaine. Approche ecologique et nutritionnelle. CTA., p 59 (As Canthium crassum)
- Malaisse, F., 2010, How to live and survive in Zambezian open forest (Miombo Ecoregion). Les Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux. (As Canthium crassum)
- Maundu, P. et al, 1999, Traditional Food Plants of Kenya. National Museum of Kenya. 288p
- Njana, M. A., et al, 2013, Are miombo woodlands vital to livelihoods of rural households? Evidence from Urumwa and surrounding communities, Tabora, Tanzania. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 22:2, 124-140
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 171
- Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 480
- Williamson, 1972,
- Williamson, J., 2005, Useful Plants of Malawi. 3rd. Edition. Mdadzi Book Trust. p 54 (As Canthium crassum)
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- www.theplantlist.org
