Species of tree
Irvingia gabonensis
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Ogbono nuts
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Scientific classification
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Kingdom:
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Plantae
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Clade
:
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Tracheophytes
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Clade
:
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Angiosperms
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Clade
:
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Eudicots
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Clade
:
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Rosids
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Order:
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Malpighiales
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Family:
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Irvingiaceae
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Genus:
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Irvingia
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Species:
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I. gabonensis
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Binomial name
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Irvingia gabonensis
(Aubry-Lecomte ex O'Rorke)
Baill.
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Natural occurrence of
Irvingia gabonensis
in Africa
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Synonyms
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Irvingia barteri
Hook.f.
Irvingia caerulea
Tiegh.
Irvingia duparquetii
Tiegh.
Irvingia erecta
Tiegh.
Irvingia fusca
Tiegh.
Irvingia griffonii
Tiegh.
Irvingia hookeriana
Tiegh.
Irvingia laeta
Tiegh.
Irvingia pauciflora
Tiegh.
Irvingia platycarpa
Tiegh.
Irvingia tenuifolia
Hook.f.
Irvingia velutina
Tiegh.
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Irvingia gabonensis
is a species of
African
trees
in the genus
Irvingia
, sometimes known by the common names
wild mango
,
African mango
, or
bush mango
. They bear edible
mango
-like fruits, and are especially valued for their
fat
- and
protein
-rich nuts.
Distribution and habitat
[
edit
]
Irvingia gabonensis
is indigenous to the humid forest zone from the northern tip of
Angola
, including
Congo
,
DR Congo
,
Nigeria
,
Ivory Coast
and south-western
Uganda
.
[2]
[3]
Since 2009, the
Gabonese
government has prohibited logging of the andok tree until 2034.
[4]
Biophysical limits
[
edit
]
The tree is present in the tropical wet and dry climate zone.
[5]
African bush mango grows naturally in canopied jungle,
gallery forests
and
semi-deciduous
forests. It grows at altitudes from 200?500 m (660?1,640 ft) with annual rainfalls from 1,200?1,500 mm (47?59 in).
[2]
Supported temperature ranges from 20?38 °C (68?100 °F) . Soils more than 150 cm (59 in) deep are needed, with a moderate fertility and good drainage.
pH
can range from 4.5 to 7.5.
Description
[
edit
]
Irvingia gabonensis
grows straight, up to a height of 40 m (130 ft) and 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter.
[2]
It has buttresses to a height of 3m (10 ft). The outer
bark
is smooth to scaly with grey to yellow-grey color. The crown is evergreen, spherical and dense. Leaves are elliptic, one
margin
is often a little rounder than the other, acuminate, dark green and glossy on the upper surface. Flowers are yellow to greenish-white in small
panicles
.
[2]
The flowers are bisexual.
The fruit is nearly spherical, green when ripe with a bright orange pulp. The stone is woody and contains one seed. Seeds germinate
epigeally
(above ground).
[2]
Ecology
[
edit
]
Irvingia gabonensis
is insect-pollinated by
Coleoptera
,
Diptera
,
Hymenoptera
and
Lepidoptera
.
[2]
It flowers from March to June and has two fruiting seasons: from April to July and from September to October.
[3]
Seeds are dispersed by vertebrates, including elephants and gorillas. With a reduction in the number of those animals, the spread and regeneration of African bush mango decreases and it becomes more dependent on human planting.
[6]
Cultivation
[
edit
]
In the past, 90% of African bush mango products were harvested from scattered, wild trees.
[3]
African bush mango trees were not cultivated initially, because it was believed, that it took up to 15 years for a tree to bear fruit. Although they were not artificially planted, their occurrence was high because they were also rarely harvested for timber. In a plantation using marcots (air-layering plants), flower production was observed within two to four years after planting.
[3]
Germination from seeds is low and when they are not handled appropriately, most fail.
[3]
The seeds are mostly extracted by breaking fruits by hand.
[3]
Breeding
[
edit
]
The
domestication
of African bush mango is in its early stages.
[3]
Around 1990,
vegetative propagation
allowed mass
replication
and
selection
. Grafting, budding,
air-layering
, marcotting and cuttings are feasible when they are applied to young wood.
[3]
Uses
[
edit
]
The
fruits
are often eaten fresh by
humans
and other
mammals
such as
monkeys
,
gorillas
,
elephants
and many more. As it is naturally and predominantly found in parts of
Africa
, it has been popularly called African mango.
[2]
The fruits are processed into jelly, jam, juice and sometimes even wine.
[5]
The pulp has also been used to prepare black dye for cloth coloration.
The
seed coat
has to be cracked open to get to the
endosperm
. Seeds, also called dika nuts, are eaten raw or roasted. Mostly however they are pounded to butter- or a chocolate-like block.
[6]
Seeds can be pressed to produce an edible oil (solid at ambient temperatures) or margarine used for cooking. The oil can also be processed further to soap or cosmetics.
[6]
The
press cake
can be used as cattle feed or as
thickening agent
for soup. Seeds can be ground or crushed and used as a thickening and flavoring agent in soups and stews.
[2]
They can also be made into a cake called "dika bread" for preservation.
[2]
The nuts are often used in the Gabonese cuisine to season poultry and meat dishes, such as the poulet a l'odika. The ground nuts provide a smoked scent to the meals.
The wood is hard and therefore used for heavy construction work as making ships' decks or railway ties.
[2]
Dead branches are used as firewood.
[6]
The trees are used in
agroforestry
systems to shade other crops, especially cocoa and coffee. They are also used to reduce erosion. Cities have started using them to shade streets, as shelter belts, or for beautification.
Thousands of tons of African bush mango seeds are traded each year, mostly within Africa.
[7]
Nutrition
[
edit
]
The edible seeds provide 697
calories
in a 100 gram portion and the following
nutrients
:
[6]
Fat
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67 g
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Carbohydrate
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15 g
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Protein
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8.5 g
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Water
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4 g
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Calcium
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120 mg
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Iron
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2.4 mg
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The approximate
fatty acid
composition in seeds includes
myristic acid
(33?70%),
lauric acid
(20?59%),
oleic acid
(1?11%),
palmitic acid
(2%) and
stearic acid
(1%).
[6]
Unlike the pulp of some other
Irvingia
spp., the pulp of
Irvingia gabonensis
tastes juicy and sweet and is eaten fresh. A 100 gram portion of fruit pulp provides 61 calories and includes:
Water
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81 g
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Carbohydrate
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15.7 g
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Protein
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0.9 g
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Fat
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0.2 g
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Phosphorus
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40 mg
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Calcium
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20 mg
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Vitamin C
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7 mg
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Iron
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2 mg
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Fruit pulp flavor components include
zingiberene
,
cinnamic acid
,
dodecanal
and
dodecanol
, resulting in spicy, earthy, fruity, and wine-yeast characteristics.
[6]
Weight control
[
edit
]
Food supplements
from
Irvingia gabonensis
, under the name "African mango" are marketed for management of
body weight
.
Clinical trials
to date have not confirmed their efficacy, although a
meta-analysis
concluded that
Irvingia gabonensis
showed "some potential benefit for weight loss",
[8]
stating that "it appears to be safe and well tolerated as the most common adverse effects are headache,
flatulence
, and difficulty sleeping" but that "due to the limited data,
Irvingia gabonensis
cannot be recommended at this time."
[8]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998).
"
Irvingia gabonensis
"
.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
.
1998
: e.T33055A9754010.
doi
:
10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T33055A9754010.en
. Retrieved
19 November
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
"Irvingia gabonensis"
.
AgroForestryTree Database
. World Agroforestry Centre. Archived from
the original
on 2013-10-24
. Retrieved
2012-12-08
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Lost Crops of Africa
. Vol. 2, Vegetables. Washington DC:
National Academies Press
. 2006. pp. 119?135.
ISBN
0-309-10333-9
.
- ^
Iponga, Donald Midoko; Mikolo-Yobo, Christian; Lescuyer, Guillaume; Assoumou, Fidele Mba; Levang, Patrice; Tieguhong, Julius Chupezi; Ngoye, Alfred (2018-02-01).
"The contribution of NTFP-gathering to rural people's livelihoods around two timber concessions in Gabon"
.
Agroforestry Systems
.
92
(1): 157?168.
Bibcode
:
2018AgrSy..92..157I
.
doi
:
10.1007/s10457-016-0022-0
.
ISSN
1572-9680
.
- ^
a
b
"Irvingia gabonensis"
.
Ecocrop
.
Food and Agriculture Organization
. 1993?2007. Archived from
the original
on 2019-10-13.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Tchoundjeu Z, Atangana, AR (2007).
"Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O'Rorke) Baill"
. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA); van der Vossen HAM, Mkamilo GS (Editors); Wageningen, Netherlands. Archived from
the original
on 2015-09-24
. Retrieved
30 June
2016
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Moloney, Cornelius Alfred; Druce, Herbert.; Shelley, G. E. (1887).
Sketch of the forestry of West Africa with particular reference to its present principal commercial products
. London: S. Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington.
doi
:
10.5962/bhl.title.55733
.
- ^
a
b
Egras, Amy M.; Hamilton, William R.; Lenz, Thomas L.; Monaghan, Michael S. (2011).
"An Evidence-Based Review of Fat Modifying Supplemental Weight Loss Products"
.
Journal of Obesity
.
2011
: 1?7.
doi
:
10.1155/2011/297315
.
PMC
2931392
.
PMID
20847896
.
External links
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edit
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Irvingia gabonensis
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Mangifera gabonensis
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