Rank Species | Clade Angiosperms | |
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Similar Canarium, Dacryodes, Entandrophragma angolense, Dacryodes edulis, Myrianthus arboreus | ||
Canarium schweinfurthii, commonly known as African elemi or canarium, is a species of large tree native to tropical Africa. Names in many African languages are variations of mupafu.
Contents
Description
Because of similarities in their fruit and leaves, African elemi may be confused with Dacryodes edulis.
Distribution and habitat
African elemi is found from the coast of Angola to Uganda.
Uses
The African elemi tree is one of several sources of the economically useful oleoresin known elemi. In West Africa this resin is traditionally burned for fumigating dwellings and mixed with oil for body paint. African elemi bears edible fruit with a thick, dense, hard shell.
References
Canarium schweinfurthii Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA