Icacina oliviformis (Icacinaceae): A close look at an underexploited crop. I. Overview and ethnobotany

Icacina oliviformis is an underexploited, suffrutescent, savannah pyrophyte used for its edible seeds, tuberous roots, and fruit mesocarp in many areas of west and north-central Africa. The large seeds provide a relied-upon resource in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and the Central African Republic at the end of the dry season when food reserves in the villages are at their lowest annual levels. The tuberous roots, sometimes weighing over 50 kg, provide a rich source of starch in times of famine. This species deserves consideration for use in extensive agroforestry schemes in savannah habitats of west-central Africa.