It is important to buy, collect and preserve our indigenous fruits/foods, trees and plants because they are tied to our culture and heritage and are our possible link to knowledge and solutions peculiar to us, for us now and in the future.
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
This is Bush butter pear/tree or Ube or Purple Safou. Botanical name is dacryodes edulis. They grow naturally in the forests in the south, west and east of Nigeria , Ghana and all the way to Congo. It can be grown as a shade and ornamental tree in gardens and around farms. A small not too big tree with very edible and medicinal fruits...and maybe leaves. The fruit is like a smooth oily berry or oil bean. I can’t really describe what it tasted like and I won’t say it’s my favorite yet. I think it is an acquired taste.
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
They can grow in a wide range of soils but thrive best in shade and good enough soil. Trees come in mostly male and female. It has one of the highest and richest sources of oils and protein than most fruits in the world. Fruiting can take 5 to 6 years and I haven’t heard about any other ways of propagation apart from seed. Any others might prove difficult. I have a few acquired young ones that I am raising. This tree is strongly seasonal, fruiting especially during the wet season when other fruits are abundant and fruiting season is short.
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
Though the flowers are not showy, they attract masses of pollinators most of which are honey bees so this tree would be a good addition to your garden or farm if you care about such things. Also the leaves and fruit remains provide rich organic matter to improve soil fertility. Given the trees uses it can contribute both great environmental and nutritional benefits and has great prospects.
Image source: tropicaltheferns-safoutier
#purplesafou #ube #bushbutterpear #nativeplants #YoungChamps #pollination #environment #edibleplants #fruittrees #stewardoftheearth
No comments:
Post a Comment