Edible Plants of the World

Lowveld milkberry

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in the bushveld often on termite mounds. In Kenya it grows in dry deciduous woodland. In Kenya it grows from sea level to 1,400 m altitude. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 200-1,270 mm. It can grow in weakly salty soils. It cannot tolerate frost. It can tolerate drought. It can grow in arid places.

Also known as:

Cipuwe, Kinako, Kisaa, Laeveldmelkbessie, Mghambo, Mkonze, Mkunya, Mkwachu, Mnago, Msama, Msema, Mucisa, Munago, Mwakala, Mwambo, N'uwambo, Nago, Ngambo, Nkonze, Nwambu, Umcambelo, Wanaay, Warendi

Synonyms

Edible Portion

Where does Lowveld milkberry grow?

Found in: Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are about 75 Manilkara species.

Status: It is an attractive fruit. It has commercial potential.

Growing Lowveld milkberry

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seeds. It can be cut back and will re-grow.

Edible Uses: The ripe fruit are eaten raw. The seeds are discarded. The fruit are also used for jam and jelly. They can be dried.

Production: In Tanzania fruit are collected between April to June.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
Fruit - - - - 45 - 70.4

References

CROSS-UPCOTT,

FAO. 1983, Food and fruit-bearing forest species 1: Examples from Eastern Africa. FAO Food and Forestry Paper 44/1 p 59

Flora Somalia Vol. 1, 1993, http://plants.jstor.org

Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 60

Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 339

Grivetti, L. E., 1980, Agricultural development: present and potential role of edible wild plants. Part 2: Sub-Saharan Africa, Report to the Department of State Agency for International Development. p 72

http://www.fao.org/forestry/25323-096344a3de335832e8f363c3ac5184a66.pdf (As Manilkara densiflora)

INFOODS:FAO/INFOODS Databases

Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 147

Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/

Mannheimer, C. A. & Curtis. B.A. (eds), 2009, Le Roux and Muller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia. Windhoek: Macmillan Education Namibia. p 380

Maundu, P. et al, 1999, Traditional Food Plants of Kenya. National Museum of Kenya. 288p

Mbuya, L.P., Msanga, H.P., Ruffo, C.K., Birnie, A & Tengnas, B., 1994, Useful Trees and Shrubs for Tanzania. Regional Soil Conservation Unit. Technical Handbook No 6. p 332

Mutie, F. G., 2020, Conservation of Wild Food Plants and Their Potential for Combatting Food Insecurity in Kenya as Exemplified by the Drylands of Kitui County. Plants 2020, 9, 1017

Pakia, M., 2000, Plant Ecology and Ethnobotany of two sacred forests (Kayas) at the Kenya Coast. M. Sc. Thesis.

Palmer, E and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa. Vol. 3. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town p 1755

Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 183

Roodt, V., 1998, Trees & Shrubs of the Okavango Delta. Medicinal Uses and Nutritional value. The Shell Field Guide Series: Part 1. Shell Botswana. p 197

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 10th June 2011]

Ruffo, C. K., Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B., 2002, Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania. RELMA p 458

Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 101

Schmidt, E., Lotter, M., & McCleland, W., 2007, Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Jacana Media p 506

Scudder, 1971,

Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora

van Wyk, Be., & Gericke, N., 2007, People's plants. A Guide to Useful Plants of Southern Africa. Briza. p 48

van Wyk, B, van Wyk, P, and van Wyk B., 2000, Photographic guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Briza. p 199

Van Wyk, Br. and van Wyk P., 2009, Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Nature. p 96

van Wyk, B-E., 2011, The potential of South African plants in the development of new food and beverage products. South African Journal of Botany 77 (2011) 857–868

Wehmeyer, A. S, 1986, Edible Wild Plants of Southern Africa. Data on the Nutrient Contents of over 300 species

World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

www.zimbabweflora.co.zw 2011