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Dialium guineense

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dialium guineense
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Dialium
Species:
D. guineense
Binomial name
Dialium guineense
Synonyms[2]
  • Codarium acutifolium Afzel.
  • Codarium discolor DC.
  • Codarium nitidum Sol. ex Vahl
  • Codarium obtusifolium Afzel.
  • Codarium solanderi Vahl
  • Dialium anomalum Webb
  • Dialium discolor Hook.f.
  • Dialium nitidum (Sol. ex Vahl) Guill. & Perr.

Dialium guineense, the velvet tamarind,[3] is a tall, tropical, fruit-bearing tree in the family Fabaceae. It has small, typically grape-sized, edible fruits with brown, hard, inedible shells.

Distribution and habitat

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Dialium guineense is native to West Africa, from Senegal east to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] It grows in dense forests along the southern edge of the Sahel.

Uses

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The bark and leaves have medicinal properties and are used against several diseases.[citation needed]

Fruit

Fruit

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Each fruit typically has one hard, flat, round, brown seed, typically 7-8 millimeters across and 3 millimeters thick. The seed somewhat resembles a watermelon seed (Citrullus lanatus). Some have two seeds. The seeds are shiny, coated with a thin layer of starch.

The pulp is edible and may be eaten raw or soaked in water and consumed as a beverage. The bitter leaves are ingredients in a Ghanaian dish called domoda.

African Velvet tamarind

Timber

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Wood is hard and heavy and used for construction. The wood is also used for firewood and charcoal production

References

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  1. ^ a b IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group & Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) (2022). "Dialium guineense". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T204813231A204813233. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Dialium guineense". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Dialium guineense". European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Retrieved 22 April 2024.
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