21-414: Sideroxylon grandiflorum , also known as the tambalacoque or dodo tree , is a long-lived species of tree in the sapote family Sapotaceae . It is endemic to Mauritius . The fruit of Sideroxylon grandiflorum is analogous to a peach . They are both termed drupes because both have a hard endocarp , or pit, surrounding the seed. The plant itself superficially resembles the unrelated Plumeria , but
42-618: Is / ʃ iː / (rhyming with "tea"), although the pronunciation / ʃ eɪ / (rhyming with "day") is common and is listed second in major dictionaries. The tree is called ghariti in the Wolof language of Senegal , which is the origin of the French name of the tree and the butter, karité . In Hausa language the tree is called Kaɗe or Kaɗanya . Indeed, the shea tree is so indispensable in Mole-Dagbang culinary and ethno-botanical practices that
63-596: Is pantropical . Many species produce edible fruits, or white blood-sap that is used to cleanse dirt, organically and manually, while others have other economic uses. Species noted for their edible fruits include Manilkara ( sapodilla ), Chrysophyllum cainito (star-apple or golden leaf tree), Gambeya africana and Gambeya albida (star-apple), and Pouteria ( abiu , canistel , lúcuma , mamey sapote ). Vitellaria paradoxa ( shi in several languages of West Africa and karité in French; also anglicized as shea )
84-537: Is a traditional African food plant. It has been claimed to have potential to improve nutrition, boost food supply in the "annual hungry season", foster rural development, and support sustainable land care. The tree starts bearing its first fruit when it is 10 to 15 years old; full production is attained when the tree is about 20 to 30 years old. It then produces nuts for up to 200 years. The fruits resemble large plums 4 to 8 centimetres long weighing between 10 and 57 grams each. These fruits take 4 to 6 months to ripen;
105-436: Is a tree of the family Sapotaceae . It is the only species in the genus Vitellaria , and is indigenous to Africa . The shea fruit consists of a thin, tart, nutritious pulp that surrounds a relatively large, oil-rich seed from which shea butter is extracted. It is a deciduous tree usually 7–15 m (23–49 ft) tall, but has reached 25 m (82 ft) and a trunk diameter of 2 m (6.6 ft). The shea tree
126-465: Is also the source of an oil-rich nut, the source of edible shea butter , which is the major lipid source for many African ethnic groups and is also used in traditional and Western cosmetics and medications. The "miracle fruit" Synsepalum dulcificum is also placed in the Sapotaceae. Trees of the genus Palaquium ( gutta-percha ) produce an important latex with a wide variety of uses. The seeds of
147-580: Is used extensively for food, is a major source of dietary fat , and for medicinal purposes. In Ghana and Nigeria, shea butter is a major ingredient for making the African black soap . The edible protein-rich caterpillars of the moth Cirina butyrospermi which feed solely on its leaves are widely collected and eaten raw, dried or fried. Shea butter extract is a complex fat that in addition to many nonsaponifiable components (substances that cannot be fully converted into soap by treatment with alkali ) contains
168-409: The broad-billed parrot . The difference in numbers is because young trees are not distinct in appearance and may easily be confused with similar species. The decline of the tree may possibly be due to introduction of domestic pigs and crab-eating macaques , and competition from introduced plants. Catling (2001) in a summary cites Owadally and Temple (1979), and Witmer (1991). Hershey (2004) reviewed
189-506: The Congo , and Guinea . The habitat area extends over more than 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi). A testa found at the site of the medieval village of Saouga is evidence of shea butter production by the 14th century. Shea butter has many uses and may or may not be refined. In the West it is most commonly used as an emollient in cosmetics and is less commonly used in food. Throughout Africa it
210-533: The Northern Ghanaian city of Tamale etymologically derives its name from the more traditional Dagomba name 'Tama-yile' (meaning 'Home of Shea nuts'). The tree was formerly classified in the genus Butyrospermum , meaning "butter seed". The species name parkii honors Scottish explorer Mungo Park , who learned of the tree while exploring Senegal . Park's Scottish origin is reflected in the English word shea , with
231-475: The average yield is 15 to 20 kg (33 to 44 lb) of fresh fruit per tree, with optimum yields up to 45 kilograms (99 pounds). Each kilogram of fruit gives approximately 400 grams (14 ounces) of dry seeds. The fruit is edible. Vitellaria is a monotypic genus, i.e., it comprises only one species. The species has variously been known botanically as Vitellaria paradoxa , Butyrospermum parkii , and Butyrospermum paradoxum . Many botanical works from
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#1732855463554252-409: The digestive tract of the dodo could the seeds germinate. Temple (1977) force-fed seventeen tambalacoque fruits to wild turkeys . Seven of the fruits were crushed by the bird's gizzard. The remaining ten were either regurgitated or passed with the bird's feces. Temple planted the remaining ten fruits and three germinated. Temple did not try to germinate any seeds from control fruits not fed to turkeys so
273-517: The dodo and the tree's sole survival relationship. This dodo tree is highly valued for its wood in Mauritius, which has led some foresters to scrape the pits by hand to make them sprout and grow. Sapotaceae The Sapotaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to the order Ericales . The family includes about 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in around 65 genera (35–75, depending on generic definition). Their distribution
294-430: The dodo tree's flowers and fruit are cauliflorous . In 1973, it was thought that the species was becoming extinct . There were supposedly only 13 specimens left, all estimated to be about 300 years old. The true age could not be determined because tambalacoque has no growth rings . Stanley Temple hypothesized that the dodo , which became extinct in the 17th century, ate tambalacoque fruits, and only by passing through
315-422: The effect of feeding fruits to turkeys was unclear. Reports made on tambalacoque seed germination by Hill (1941) and King (1946) found the seeds germinated without abrading. Temple's hypothesis that the tree required the dodo was contested. Others have suggested the decline of the tree was exaggerated, or that other extinct animals may also have been distributing the seeds, such as giant tortoises , fruit bats or
336-616: The flaws in Temple's dodo-tambalacoque hypothesis. In 2004, the Botanical Society of America's Plant Science Bulletin disputed Temple's research as flawed. The Bulletin published evidence as to why the dodo's extinction did not directly cause the increasing disappearance of young trees, including suggestions that the Cylindraspis giant tortoises would have been more likely to disperse the seeds than dodos, casting doubt on Temple's view as to
357-477: The following fatty acids : oleic acid (40–60%), stearic acid (20–50%), linoleic acid (3–11%), palmitic acid (2–9%), linolenic acid (<1%) and arachidic acid (<1%). It also contains the vitamins A, E and F. The common name is shíyiri (in N'Ko : ߛ߭ߌ߭ߦߌߙߌ ) or shísu ( ߛ߭ߌ߭ߛߎ , lit. "shea tree") in the Bambara language of Mali . This is the origin of the English word, whose primary pronunciation
378-419: The late 19th and much of the 20th centuries used the name Butyrospermum parkii , which is still commonly found in the cosmetics trade. However, Vitellaria paradoxa is the oldest name (published in 1807) and has been generally used in recent decades, as necessitated by the rules of botanical nomenclature; efforts in 1962 to make Butyrospermum the official scientific name for the genus (i.e., to "conserve"
399-485: The name) were unsuccessful. The species comprises two subspecies: Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. paradoxa (roughly from the Nigeria-Cameroon border westward). Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. nilotica (Kotschy) A.N. Henry & Chithra & N.C. Nair (roughly from the Nigeria-Cameroon border eastward). The shea tree grows naturally in the wild in the dry savannah belt of West and South from Senegal in
420-730: The tree Argania spinosa produce an edible oil , traditionally harvested in Morocco . The family name is derived from zapote , a Mexican vernacular name for one of the plants (in turn derived from the Nahuatl tzapotl ) and Latinised by Linnaeus as sapota , a name now treated as a synonym of Manilkara (also formerly known by the invalid name Achras ). 63 genera are currently accepted: Vitellaria Butyrospermum paradoxum Butyrospermum parkii Vitellaria paradoxa (formerly Butyrospermum parkii ), commonly known as shea tree , shi tree ( / ˈ ʃ iː ( ə )/ ), or vitellaria ,
441-511: The west to Sudan and South Sudan in the east, and onto the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands. It occurs in 19 countries across the African continent, namely Benin , Burkina Faso , Cameroon , Central African Republic , Chad , Ethiopia , Ghana , Guinea Bissau , Ivory Coast , Mali , Niger , Nigeria , Senegal , Sierra Leone , South Sudan , Sudan , Togo , Uganda , Democratic Republic of
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