Cola clavata

Mast.

MalvaceaeFruit
Cola clavata
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) malombeitambo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Cola clavata
iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Ngumbau Veronicah, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit - stimulant

The fruit is eaten as a stimulant.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant.

Africa, East Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania,

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 large tree. The bark is ash coloured. Young branches can be hairy. The leaves are 12 cm long by 6 cm wide. They are narrowly oval. The flowers are in groups of 1-3 in the axils of leaves on old branches. The fruit are 2 cm long by 1.1 cm wide. There is one seed.

How to Grow

A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Other Uses

The wood is heavy, hard, tough and resistant to termites. It is used for construction, tool handles, bows, animal traps, fencing etc. The wood is used for fuel.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Cola clavata is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, and Tanzania. In Mozambique it is found in the coastal forests of Zambezia and Sofala. It is affected by habitat loss from the destruction of its native forests by human-caused fires and conversion to agriculture. Only small patches of undisturbed forest remain.

Notes

Also put in the family Sterculiaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Muungu, Nhanfetuto

Edwardia clavata (Mast.) Kuntzeand others
References (1)
  • http://www.fao.org/forestry/25323-096344a3de335832e8f363c3ac5184a66.pdf

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