Irvingia Hook.F.

Large trees. Branchlets with conspicuous annular scars of the stem-clasping, very early caducous stipules forming a narrow-conical cap surrounding the terminal bud. Leaves simple, glabrous, entire; midrib sulcate; petiole with a groove above between the very narrow wings. Panicles terminal or axillary. Bracts small, early caducous. Flowers (4-)5-merous, bisexual. Sepals connate at the base, imbricate in bud. Petals exceeding the sepals, imbricate in bud. Stamens twice as many as petals, inserted beneath the disk; filaments slender, long, dorsally attached; anthers latrorse, emarginate at base and apex. Disk large, cushion-shaped, intrastaminal. Ovary 2-celled, conical or somewhat flattened, sessile on the toruslike disk; style 1, with an inconspicuous terminal stigma; ovules solitary, anatro-pous, attached adaxially and apically. Drupe large, 1-(2-)seeded, resembling a mango. Albumen 0 or small (e.g. in I. malayana).

The African species are sometimes a conspicuous constituent of the tropical rain-forest. The Asiatic species is not seldom frequent in the lowland forest. Because of its hard wood and big buttresses it is often left in forest clearings and thus by its great size stands out on the landscape (CORNER).

Uses. The fruit of all species is edible, but usually only the seeds are eaten. The cotyledons (as the bark and pith of branchlets and petioles) contain large lysigenous arabin-containing mucilaginous cells, surrounded by cells containing fat. The seeds are used for the manufacturing of wax, cacao, and soap.