WorldFloraDB - Crateva adansonii

Characteristics

Small deciduous tree or shrub, unarmed, round-crowned, 6–15 m. tall, glabrous.. Leaves petiolate; leaflets shortly petiolulate, elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, 3–12.5 cm. long, 1–4.8 cm. wide, acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base and somewhat decurrent into the petiolule, slightly unequal sided; petiole 2.5–8.5 cm. long.. Inflorescence-axis l–2.5(–7.5) cm. long; pedicels 1.5–4 cm. long; flowers appearing before or just after the flush of new leaves.. Sepals 4, deltoid or lanceolate, up to 4 mm. long.. Petals 4, ovate, eventually up to 30 mm. long, 17 mm. wide, the 2 adaxial ones generally somewhat the larger, clawed, white or yellowish.. Stamens 2–3.5(–5) cm. long, white with purplish anthers.. Gynophore stout, 2.5– 5 cm. long or reduced and the gynoecium ? non-functional.. Fruits globose, 4–5 cm. in diameter, yellowish.. Fig. 4, p. 19.

More

A shrub 1-4 m high. It can grow 20 m tall. It has a wide spreading crown. The trunk is stout and often twisted. The bark is pale brown. The leaves have 3 leaflets. These have blunt tips. The leaves are 5-10 cm long. The flowers are white and occur in dense masses. The papery white petals are all on one side of the flower. The fruit are green at first but become yellow when mature. The fruit are 2.5-5 cm across. The seeds are edible.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

tree

Growth support

free-standing

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

-

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

-

Mature height (meter)

6.0 - 15.0

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

-

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows on land subject to temporary flooding and on the banks of streams. It occurs in savannah country. It is very drought tolerant. It grows in the Sahel. In East Africa it grows between 600-1,400 m altitude. It can grow in arid places.

More

Galleried forests, savannah woodland and old termite mounds, often on river-banks in east Africa. Riverine or swamp forest, forest edges in southern Africa.

Light	-
Soil humidity	-
Soil texture	-
Soil acidity	-
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The young fruits and flowers are edible. The fruit are cooked. The leaves are popular as food. They are also used for flavouring. The seeds are occasionally eaten.

Uses	animal food bee plant charcoal dye environmental use food fuel gene source gum invertebrate food material medicinal wood
Edible	fruits leaves seeds
Therapeutic use	Antirheumatic agents (bark), Aphrodisiacs (bark), Calculi (bark), Diabetes mellitus (bark), Diuretics (bark), Dracunculiasis (bark), Edema (bark), Fever (bark), Headache (bark), Irritable bowel syndrome (bark), Leprosy (bark), Skin diseases (bark), Urination disorders (bark), Vomiting (bark), Arthritis (fruit), Antirheumatic agents (leaf), Appetite stimulants (leaf), Arthralgia (leaf), Demulcents (leaf), Diarrhea (leaf), Diuretics (leaf), General tonic for rejuvenation (leaf)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.

Mode	seedlings
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-