Oil Bean Tree, Owala oil

Where does Oil Bean Tree grow?

Found in: Africa, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial-Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, West Africa

Notes: The oil from the seeds is used for cooking and lamps. It contains an alkaloid paucine. Also as Mimosaceae.

Status: It is popular in Nigeria. The nuts are commonly eaten. They are sold in local markets.

Growing Oil Bean Tree, Owala oil

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. Fresh seed should be used. Soaking in water for 24 hours improves germination. Seed can be stored for 3 months at 15°C. It can be grown from cuttings, air-layering or budding. Young stem cuttings need to be used and using rooting hormone helps. Plants can be budded.

Edible Uses: The seeds (with skin removed) are soaked in water, then ground and cooked in leaves. They are also shredded and fermented. This is done to remove toxins. Sometimes they are boiled or roasted for 12 hours. The seeds are rich in oil. This is used in cooking. (Some references say not for cooking). The seeds are used as a condiment.

Production: Trees from cuttings can produce seed after 4 years. Harvesting pods can occur throughout the year but is a difficult task. In Liberia the seeds are produced from December to March. In Central African Republic plants have been recorded flowering in March and April.

Nutrition Info

References

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