Treculia africana Decne. ex Trécul

An evergreen tree. It grows to 15-30 m tall. It can grow up to 50 m tall. It has a dense spreading crown. The trunk is fluted. The bark is dark grey and smooth. It is thick and produces a white latex when cut. This later turns rusty red. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are very large. Leaves can be 30 cm by 14 cm or larger. They are dark green and smooth above but paler and slightly hairy underneath. The leaves are tough. They have 10-18 pairs of clear veins. The leaf stalk is 1.5 cm long and the leaf tip is pointed. Young leaves are red or yellow. The flower heads are rounded ad a yellow-brown. They are 2.5 to 10 cm across. Male and female flowers are usually separate. Flowers can grow in the axils of leaves or on older wood down to the trunk. The fruit is a compound fruit. It is rounded and very large. It can be 30-45 cm across. It grows on the trunk and main branches. Inside there are many orange seeds about 1 cm across. They are in a spongy pulp. The outer fruit surface is covered with pointy growths.

A tropical plant. It suits hot, tropical lowland climates. It grows in forests near rivers. It can grow in swampy areas. It grows from sea level up to 1500 m in Uganda or 1,200 m in Tanzania.

The seeds can be dried, fried and eaten. They are also boiled, roasted or ground into flour. The flour is used in soups and nut milk. An edible oil can be extracted from the seeds.

Plants are grown from seed. Seed can be planted in pots then transplanted or they can be sown direct. There are about 5,000 seeds per kg. Seeds will only store for a few weeks but seed treatment is not needed before sowing. Plants can be budded. It can be grown from stem cuttings.