Monodora angolensis Welw.

Shrub or tree 3–20 m. tall, with trunk about 40 cm. in diameter; bark nearly black, vertically shallowly furrowed of rugose; branchlets glabrous.. Leaf-blades oblong-elliptic, obovate or oblanceolate, (2.5–)4.5–18(–20) cm. long, (1.5–)2–7(–8.5) cm. wide, acuminate at the apex, cuneate or rounded at the base, subcoriaceous or thin, glabrous, glaucous; venation prominent on both surfaces.. Flowers solitary or paired, axillary or extra-axillary, hanging, fragrant; pedicels 1.5–8 cm. long, glabrous; bracteoles round or broadly ovate, 5–10 mm. long and wide, acuminate, amplexicaul, glabrous.. Sepals green, tinged or speckled with red or purple, ovate-lanceolate, 0.5–1 cm. long, 3–6 mm. wide, subacute, the margins undulate, sometimes ciliate.. Outer petals greenish-yellow or orange spotted with red, white or purple at the base or sometimes purple with yellow veining below, yellow-green with purple mottling above, ovate-oblong, 3–6 cm. long, 1.5–3 cm. wide, obtuse or acute, spreading at the base, curved above with undulate margins, glabrous;inner petals white or pink or tinged yellow, sometimes minutely purple mottled along the margins, often with 2 yellow marks at the base, broadly ovate, rounded or ± sagittate, (0.4–)0.6–1.5 cm. long, (0.5–)0.9–1.5(–1.9) cm. wide, the claw (0.3–)0.6–1 cm. long, attenuate, acute or apiculate at the apex, at first usually connivent, later erect, ciliate, pubescent or glabrous on the margins.. Stamens almost round, ± 0.5 mm. long.. Ovary conical, ± 1 mm. long, glabrous.. Fruiting pedicel ± 3–8 cm. long, thick; fruit hanging, globose or ovoid, 5–9 cm. long, 4.5–7 cm. wide, longitudinally ribbed, rugose, glabrous, the pericarp thick and coriaceous.. Seeds chestnut, ovoid or irregularly ellipsoidal, 1–1.5 cm. long, 0.8–1 cm. wide, 7 mm. thick, compressed, smooth and shining.. Fig. 28.

Evergreen forest of closed mixed type, also found in riverine forests, evergreen thickets, forest edges and fringing forests in savannah, at elevations from near sea level to 1,350 metres.

The seeds are used as a nutmeg substitute in soup, and with vegetables and meat.

Plants are grown from fresh seeds. The seed is soaked in cold water for 12 hours.