Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Trichilia emetica - Natal mahogany
Edible parts: Aril, Seeds, Fruit, Seeds - oil
A large tree. It is evergreen. It grows 8-20 m high. The crown is round and widespreading. The leaves have 4-5 pairs of leaflets
and one at the end. They are oblong and 12 cm long by 5.5 cm wide. They are dark green and glossy above and have short
hairs underneath. The leaf stalk is 7-12 cm long. The flowers are creamy-green. The petals are 1.6 cm long. They occur in sort
branched heads in the axils of leaves. These are about 5 cm long. The fruit is an almost round creamy-brown capsule. It is 2.5
-3 cm across. They split into 2-3 valves. The seeds are black and covered with a red seed coat (aril).
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows at medium to low altitudes in forests along rivers and near the coast. In East Africa it grows from sea
level to 1,835 m altitude. In West Africa it grows in the savannah. It grows in areas with a rainfall above 550 mm. It can tolerate
drought. It cannot tolerate frost. It can grow in arid places.