Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R.Br. ex G. Don.

Leguminosae

Synonyms

Dombou, néré

Synonyms

• Parkia clappertoniana Keay
• Parkia africana R. Br.
• Parkia oliveri Macbr.
• Parkia filicoidea sensu Keay & sensu Dalziel.

Description

Large tree (up to 20 m) with a dense spreading crown, scaly and creviced grey-brown bark, slash brown. Leaves bipinnate up to 40 cm long, with an orbicular gland on the petiole. Up to 40 pairs of pinnae having up to 65 pairs of leaflets each. Leaflets oblong to linear 0.8-3.0 cm x 0.2-0.8 cm ; Flowers red or orange clustered in heads up to 7 cm in diameter borne on a hanging peduncle up to 35 cm long. Pods linear 12-30 x 1.5-2.5 cm, glabrous, brown. Rather slow growth, begins fruiting after 8 years ; at 15-20 years it would produce 25-100 kg of pods per tree.

Habitat

Trees usually isolated, occasionally gregarious.

Soil

Very tolerant to mediocre soil conditions.

Distribution

Sudanian and Guinean savannas to the southern border of the Sahel ecozone on the 600 mm isohyet. Characteristic of the transition areas from the Sahelian to Sudananian ecozones together with the shea butter tree Vitellaria(=Butyrospermum) paradoxa (Le Houérou, 1976).

Crop management

Tended, if not cultivated, by farmers, fire tolerant.

Products & uses

Bark, leaves, flowers and pods have innumerable medicinal and food utilizations, the pods, in particular (husk and pulp) are staple food for humans, stored in households. Foliage contains saponins, but is nevertheless considered palatable to cattle, flowers are rich in nectar and bee-hives are often placed on the branches.

References

Aubréville 1950 ; Dalziel 1955 ; Hutchinson & al.1958 ; El Amin 1973 ; El Amin 1990 ; Kerharo & Adam 1974 ; Weber et al. 1977 ; Berhaut 1975 ; FAO 1980 ; Wickens 1980 ; Geerling 1982/88 ; Von Maydell 1983/86 ; Hopkins 1983 ; Booth & Wickens 1988 ; Burkill 1995.