Psydrax schimperianus
(A. Rich.) Bridson
Kaheltta
RubiaceaeFruit
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Odile Weber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit are eaten raw, especially by children, and serve as a famine food.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. In Ethiopia it grows in the lowlands and middle altitudes.
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia,
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 shrub or small tree. It grows 2-10 m high. The young branches are square in section. There can be wings. The leaf blades are 3-11 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. They are narrowly oval. There are 7-50 flowers in a group. The fruit has a stone and the fruit is 5-7 mm long by 6-8 mm wide. It is black when ripe. The stone is 6 mm long by 4 mm wide.
Other Information
The fruit are eaten especially by children. They are a famine food.
Names & Synonyms
Gaallee, Gali, Kahelta
Canthium euryoides sensu BullockCanthium myrtifolium S. MooreCanthium schimperianum A. Rich.Phalleria schimperi Hochst.Plectronia angiensis De Wild.Plectronia schimperiana (A. Rich.) Vatke
References (11)
- Addis, G., Asfaw, Z & Woldu, Z., 2013, Ethnobotany of Wild and Semi-wild Edible Plants of Konso Ethnic Community, South Ethiopia. Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 11:121-141
- Assefa, A. & Abebe, T., 2010, Wild Edible Trees and Shrubs in the Semi-arid Lowlands of Southern Ethiopia. Journal of Science and Development 1 (1) 2010
- East African Herbarium records, 1981,
- Flora Zambesiaca. http://apps.kew.org/efloras
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 84
- Gemedo-Dalle, T., et al, 2005, Plant Biodiversity and Ethnobotany of Borana Pastoralists in Southern Oromia, Ethiopia. Economic Botany 59(1) pp. 43-65
- Kidane, B., et al, 2014, Ethnobotany of Wild and Semi-wild Edible Fruit Species used by Maale and Ari Ethnic Communities in South Ethiopia. Ethnobotany Research and Applications. Vol. 12, 1546-3465-12-455
- Lulekal, E., et al, 2011, Wild edible plants in Ethiopia: a review on their potential to combat food insecurity. Afrika Focus - Vol. 24, No 2. pp 71-121
- Ocho, D. L., et al, 2012, Assessing the levels of food shortage using the traffic light metaphor by analyzing the gathering and consumption of wild food plants, crop parts and crop residues in Konso, Ethiopia. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 8:30
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 174
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
