This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: your mail



On Wed, 25 Jun 1997, Gay Klok wrote:

> Katherine Pyle wrote:
> > 
> > Hi Gang--
> > 
> > I have just been given a small Oncoba spinosa plant. 
> 
> Oncoba - data from an old book: includes the MAYNA group.
> Genus includes about 22 species of trees and shrubs, native of tropical
> and sub-tropical Africa and America.  The fruit of O.spinosa has a hard
> shell, which is applied to ornamental and other purposes in Guinea [sic]
> I wonder what the other purposes are???


I know the close relative Oncoba routledgei very well - differs very
minutely from O. spinosa. The fruits are rather like a cricket ball in
shape & size, but dull orange. Inside they have a thick orange pulp with
lots of seeds; they are edible, but a bit cloying after a few bites. I
assume that they are eaten by elephants. 

In southern Africa the hard shell of the fruit is used to make snuff boxes
and rattles, while the root is used for dysentery and bladder complaints,
according to Coates Palgrave's 'Trees of Southern Africa'.

My guess is that O. spinosa would be quite a tough shrub for semi-arid
conditions, but it IS spiny! It is very widely distributed in sub-saharan
Africa.

John Grimshaw
References:
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index