Vitellaria paradoxa C.F.Gaertn.

A deciduous tree. A compact tree which loses its leaves during the year. It grows to 15-25 m tall and has a spreading crown. The trunk is short and stout and can be 2 m across. The bark is corky. The bark is dark with cracks making it look like a crocodile skin. White latex come out when the bark is cut. The branches bend backwards almost to the ground when the leaves are wet. The leaves are oblong with wavy edges and clustered at the ends of branches. They are leathery and shiny. They are 10-25 cm long and 5-8 cm wide. The leaves are reddish when young. The flowers have both sexes and are produced in the dry season before the leaves. The flowers are white and clustered at the ends of shoots. They are about 1 cm long. They have a sweet smell. These are produced during the dry season when the tree has no leaves. The fruit are a flattened round shape and 4-5 cm across. The fruit stalk is 1-3 cm long. The fleshy layer is about 1 mm thick. When the fruit is green is exudes latex and the fruit turns brown when ripe. There can be one or up to 4 seeds which are shiny brown. The seeds have a white scar down the side. They have a white kernel and a fragile husk.

A tropical plant. It grows in the hot tropical lowland in areas with a low rainfall. It is common in drier parts of equatorial Africa. It occurs in savannah with a shallow water-table. It is most often between 500 and 1,000 m altitude. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall of 600-1,000 mm and a marked dry season of 6-8 months. It suits places with average temperatures of 24-30°C but can stand extremes of 21°C and 36°C. The minimum temperature should not be below 21°C and the maximum of 36°C. It does best on dry alluvial sandy soils which are rich in humus. It cannot tolerate areas which flood. It can re-grow after fire. It can grow in arid places. It occurs between latitudes 0-15°N. Mostly it grows between 500-1,000 m altitude.

The very ripe fruit pulp is eaten raw when very ripe or is lightly cooked after removing the seed. The roasted kernels are pounded and then ground to give an oily shea butter paste. This must be boiled then the oil skimmed off along with the impurities. Purified shea butter is edible and used in cooking. The fat is used in margarine.

Plants grow naturally in several areas in Africa. Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinates easily. Seeds produce a long tap root which makes transplanting difficult. It is best therefore to plant seeds where they are to grow. Fresh seed are sown 5 cm deep. Young plants cannot tolerate weeds or fire. A spacing of 8 m apart is suitable. 30-50 trees per hectare is a good final spacing. Fruit are harvested from the ground as soon as the fruit falls. The fleshy pulp rots and splits to expose the nut. Burying the fruit in a shallow pit for a few days quickens this process. The nuts are then dried for about 12 days in the sun.