Scientific
name
Dovyalis abyssinica1 (A. Rich.)
Warb.
Aberia
abyssinica Clos (Synonym)
Family name
Flacourtiaceae
Local name(s)
Koshim (Amargna), Ankakute (Oromiffa),
Ongolatz (Somalgna), Aihada (Tigrigna)
General description
An evergreen spiny shrub or tree to
8m with a rounded crown. The bark is grey with spines up to 4cm long. Branchlets
with very clear dotted breathing pores (lenticles). The leaves are shiny
dark green and oval to 5cm diameter with a blunt tip and unevenly rounded
edge. The flowers are green sepals. The female flowers are single but the
male flowers are in clusters with many stamens. The fruits are round berries
of 2cm diameter, surrounded by the calyx, green and hairy at first then
smooth orange-yellow flesh around the seeds.
Edible part(s),
preparation methods and palatability
Fruits
are edible. The fruits are collected and eaten raw. In normal times mostly
children enjoy the sweet-sour taste with a tingling sensation on the teeth of
the fruits. In food shortage periods, everybody is consuming the fruit when
available. Fruits are also liked and consumed by baboons and monkeys. It is said
that the fruits are excellent for making jam and for souring porridge.
Agroecology
D.
abyssinica
grows in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia Tanzania and Malawi. In Ethiopia the
species is usually found along river courses in humid lower highland forests of
moist and wet Mimusops forest in moist and wet midland (1,600 – 2,200m).
Propagation
method(s)
Propagates by seedlings.
Sample location(s)
Jana Mora Woreda, North Gonder
Remarks
The
species is sometimes used for fencing and as fodder for goats and sheep.
1 Parts of the following
description have been taken from Bekele-Tesemma et al., 1993: p. 200/201and
Maundu et al., 1999: p. 123
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