Bush Butter Tree, Butterfruit, African Plum, bush pear, bush plum, safou

Dacryodes edulis

Physical Characteristics

Dacryodes edulis is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, Insects. The plant is not self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Distribution

Southern and western Tropical Africa - Ghana to the Congo.

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Oil Edible Uses: Oil Fruit - raw or cooked[ 301 ]. A pleasant, subacid flavour[ 335 ]. The leathery shelled stone is surrounded by a pulpy, butyraceous pericarp about 5 mm thick which is the portion eaten, either raw, or cooked to form a sort of 'butter'[ 332 ]. When placed in hot water it softens and swells and all the flesh then slides easily off the seed[ 301 ]. The fruit flesh is softened by cell-wall-degrading enzymes. At temperatures of 60 - 85c this is accomplished in a matter of minutes; at room temperature, it takes 7 - 10 days, with bruising and microbes reducing this period to 3 days[ 299 ]. Boiling inactivates the enzymes so that the pulp hardens[ 299 ]. The fruit is usually salted and tastes like a warmed ripe avocado with a slightly sour flavour[ 301 ]. It has a mild smell of turpentine and is oily with palmitic acid 36.5%, oleic acid 33.9 %, linoleic acid 24.0% and stearic acid 5.5%[ 332 ]. The fruit contains 7% protein, which is very high for a fruit[ 301 ]. The fruit is up to 70mm long and 30mm wide[ 332 ]. The seed kernel is also rich in oil of the same fatty acids and approximately in similar amounts[ 332 ]. Carbon Farming - Staple Crop: protein-oil.

Medicinal Uses

Antiemetic Dysentery Emmenagogue Mouthwash The resin from the bark is used to treat parasitic skin diseases, jiggers etc. A bark-decoction is taken powdered with maleguetta pepper as an anti-dysenteric, and for anaemia, spitting blood and as an emmenagogue. The decoction is also used for making gargles and mouth-washes, for treating tonsillitis. The pulped-up bark is used as a wound cicatrizant. Combined with palm-oil, it is applied topically to relieve general pains and stiffness and to treat cutaneous conditions. The leaves are eaten raw with kola nut as an antiemetic. The leaf-sap is instilled into the ear for ear-trouble. A leaf-decoction is prepared as a vapour-bath for treating feverish stiffness with headache.

Known Hazards

None known