Characteristics
A leafy tree. It grows 5-18 m tall. The bark is grey and fairly smooth. It becomes darker and more rough with age. The leaves are alternate and compound. There are 3-7 pairs of thin leaflets. They are 3-11 cm long. Young leaflets are orange to red. They turn pale green. The flowers are yellow to green. They are along loose spike like heads. These are 10 cm long. They occur in the axils of leaves. Trees are separately male and female. The female flower stalks are shorter than the male. The fruit ate yellow to orange capsules. They are oval and 1 cm long. They are covered with short hairs. The flesh is blue. There is one seed.
Life form |
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Growth form |
tree
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Growth support |
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Foliage retention |
-
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Sexuality |
dioecy
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Pollination |
-
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Spread |
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Mature width (meter) |
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Mature height (meter) |
5.0 - 18.0
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Root system |
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Rooting depth (meter) |
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Root diameter (meter) |
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Flower color |
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Blooming months |
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Fruit color |
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Fruiting months |
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Nitrogen fixer |
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Photosynthetic pathway |
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Environment
It is a tropical plant. It grows near rivers and the edges of forests. It can form thickets. In Tanzania it grows from sea level to 1,400 m above sea level.
Light |
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Soil humidity |
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Soil texture |
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Soil acidity |
-
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Soil nutriment |
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Hardiness (USDA) |
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Usage
The ripe fruit are eaten as a snack.
Uses |
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Edible
|
fruits
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Therapeutic use
|
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Human toxicity |
-
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Animal toxicity |
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Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds.
Mode |
seedlings
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Germination duration (days) |
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Germination temperacture (C°) |
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Germination luminosity |
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Germination treatment |
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Minimum temperature (C°) |
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Optimum temperature (C°) |
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Size |
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Vigor |
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Productivity |
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