Tree Crops

Syzygium malaccense ( Malay apple) It is commonly known as Malay rose apple or mountain apple. It is an evergreen medium size tree, native to South east Asia to Vanuatu. It's strictly a tropical tree, cultivated and naturalised in many countries throughout the tropics. The fruit is oblong-shaped and dark red in colour, with some varieties having white or pink skins.It's an edible fruit that can be consumed when raw and ripe.

Pachira insignis It is also commonly known as Malabar chestnut or Wild chestnut. It is a fast growing evergreen or semi-deciduous tree with a dense crown. It is native to South America. It is grown and used as food or ornamental. The seeds are eaten raw or cooked.

Garcinia kola is often known as bitter kola. It is a flowering plant in the tropical rain forest region of Central and West Africa. Garcinia kola is an edible seed. The fruit, seeds and bark of the plant have been used in traditional medicine to treat ailments from coughs to fever

Macademia It is commonly known as Macademia nuts, belonging to the Proteaceae family. It originated in the coastal rainforests of Northeastern Australia. It is known for their richly flavoured seeds; often roasted and salted or are used by bakers and chocolatiers in confections and chocolates. It is an evergreen plant growing up to 18 high and 15 m wide. As of 2019, Macademia is rated the most expensive nut in the world which is attributed to the slow harvesting process. It is also susceptible to Phytophthora rot disease. Propagation is by grafting and does not begin to produce commercial quantities of seeds until it is 7- 10 years old.

Jaboticaba is also called Brazillian grape tree or Jaboticabeira. Jaboticaba belongs to the tree of the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae), It is native to Southern Brazil and has been introduced to other warm regions. The tree is known for its purplish- black, white pulped fruits which grow directly on the trunk. The fruits can be eaten raw and are commonly used to make jams, jellies, juice or jellies. The tree is evergreen, dome-shaped and grows to about 11 to 12 metres (35 to 40 feet) tall. Propagation is usually from seed. However, grafting, root cuttings and air layering can also be used.

Chrysophyllum albidium is an evergreen forest fruit tree belonging to the Sapotaceae. The tree grows as a wild plant and belongs to the Sapotaceae family which has up to 800 species. It can reach 25 to 37 m in height at maturity. The fruit is edible and can be eaten raw, having a sweet-acid flavor. The edible fruit is commonly gathered from the wild by local people, who also grow it as a village fruit tree. It is also used as traditional medicine.

Cashew is a tropical evergreen tree which belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. It is known for its edible fruits, producing cashew seed and cashew apple. It is native to the new world but commercially cultivated in Brazil and India. The cashew nuts are usually eaten after roasting. Cashew apple can be eaten fresh or cooked in a variety of dishes. The tree can reach a height of 12 m.

Rambutan is a medium sized evergreen tropical tree belonging to the family Sapindaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia. Its fruits are edible and can be cooked and eaten or the entire fruit and seed all consumed. Rambutan tree can be male or female or hermaphroditic. It grows up to a height of 15-20 m. Propagation is by seed or seedling

Myristica fragrans hout, commonly known as nutmeg is a tropical evergreen plant ( Myristicaceae family) which is native to the Molluceas or Spice Islands of Indonesia. It is used to flavor many kinds of baked foods, confections, puddings etc. It is used in tonic. The fleshy arils surrounding the nutmeg seed are the source of the spice mace. The mace is ground into powder and used to flavor cakes, biscuits and bread. Nutmeg tree can reach a height of 20m and yield fruit 8 years after sowing

Sandoricum koetjape, is commonly known as santol, belonging the family Meliaceae. It is a tropical fruit which is native to maritime South east Asia. The fruit is edible. The pulp is eaten raw and plain or with spices added. It is also cooked and candied or made into marmalade. Propagation is by seed, air layering or budding.

Garcinia xanthochymus is commonly known as Mysore Gamboge, belonging to the tree family Clusiaceae. It is an evergreen plant which is found in hot humid tropics, growing best in areas where annual daytime temperature is within the range of 22 ̊C to 28 ̊C and annual rainfall within 1500 to 2000 mm. The tree is harvested for its edible fruit and dyestuff. It is a source of gamboge, a gum-resin which is obtained from the bark, branches and fruits. It is primarily used as a pigment to dye cloth. The tree is harvested from the wild or can be cultivated or semi cultivated. The tree grows up to 8- 15 m high with gray brown bark.

Irvingia gabonensis is sometimes known as wild mango, African mango or bush mango belonging to the family Irvingiaceae. It is a native tree to West Africa which shares similarities with mango. The fruit is edible and the seeds are used to make medicine. It can grow up to 35 m tall and I m in diameter. Propagation can be done using seed, grafting and air layering

Irvingia wombulu is commonly known as bitter bush mango. It is a tropical tree with distribution stretching from Senegal to southern Sudan, south to Angola, Dr Congo and Uganda. It is an evergreen plant growing up to 25 m tall. The fruits and seed are edible. The seeds yield edible oil for cooking. The bark of the plant is used for preparing traditional medicine. Irvingia wombulu is grown from seed.

Artocarpus heterophyllus is an edible fruit with its origin in India. Its’ common name is Jack fruit belonging to the Moraceae family. The pulp of the fruit is eaten raw, dried or preserved in syrup. The large seeds are roasted and eaten. At the field genebank of CSIR-PGRRI, four genotypes of Artocarpus heterophyllus have been identified mainly due to the colour of fruit, fruit length and shape and spine shape and size on fruit.

Dacryodes edulis is also known as native pear, Butter fruit, African pear or African Plum. It is also referred to as Nsafou in Cameroon and Ivory Coast. It is an evergreen tree found in the humid forest areas of Africa which belongs to the Burseraceae family. It is distributed from Sierra Leone to Angola. The fruit of D. edulis is eaten raw, cooked in salt water or roasted. The fruit is a rich source of fatty acids and triglycerides. Propagation is mainly by seed even though marcotting (air layering) can be used. Cultivated trees reach up to about 8-10 m.

Cinnamomum zeylanicum is commonly known as Cinnamon. It is a bushy evergreen tree of the laurel family. It is native to Sri Lanka. It is used to flavor a variety of foods from confections to curries to beverages. It is popular in bakery foods in many places. Essential oil is distilled from the bark fragments for use in food liqueur, perfume and drugs.

Averrhoea carambola is also known as Star fruit which belongs to the family Oxalidaceae. It is native to tropical Southeast Asia and also cultivated throughout tropical areas of the world. The entire fruit is edible, usually eaten raw, and maybe cooked or made into relishes, preserves, garnish or juices.

It is commonly known as African locust bean or Dawadawa in Northern Ghana. Other common names include monkey cutlass tree, two ball nitta- tree etc. It is a multipurpose tree legume reaching up to 20-30 m high belonging to the Fabaceae family. It is native to tropical Africa, occurring in open Savanna woodlands. The seeds, the fruit and leaves are edible. In addition, serves as fodder for livestock as well as feed for poultry. It is mainly propagated by seed

Achras sapota is commonly known as Sapodilla or the chicle tree belonging to the Sapotaceae family. It is an evergreen tree, 5- 20 m tall. Sapodilla is native to Mexico, Central America and widely cultivated for its fruit in tropical and sub- tropical lowlands worldwide. The fruit is edible and can be eaten fresh or may be used in sherbets or ice cream or made into preserves, butter or jam. It also has other industrial and folklore medicinal uses.

The pomegranate is a small fruit bearing deciduous shrub, native to Iran and Northern India and cultivated around the world. It belongs to the family Lythraceae, sub family Punicoideae, that grows between 5 and 10 m. The juicy arils of the fruit are eaten, and the juice is the source of grenadine syrup, used in flavourings and liquers

Eugenia uniflora is commonly known as Pitanga Cherry. Other common names include Surinam cherry, Brazilian cherry, Barbados cherry, Florida cherry etc. Eugenia uniflora is an evergreen shrub which is 2-4 m tall belonging to the Myrtaceae family. It is native to Brazil but is cultivated in several subtropical countries. The plant is normally introduced as an ornamental plant. The fruits are edible and eaten raw when fully ripe which can also be made into jams, jellies, pies, juices, sherbets etc. Additionally, both leaves and fruits have been used in folk medicine. Birds and mammals disperse the seeds.

Artocarpus altilis is a tree of the mulberry family (Moraceae) and known to have been originated from New Guinea and the Indo- Malay region. Its large fruits are a staple food for the people of the South Pacific and other tropical areas. It can be roasted, boiled, fried, or dried and ground into flour (Gluten free flour). The flower of the plant is used for insect and mosquito repellent. Breadfruit can grow up to a height of about 85 feet and all parts of the tree yield a latex sap which is useful as a sealant such as for canoe caulking. The bark of the tree is used in the fabric manufacturing industry for clothing, mosquito nets etc. and its wood can be used for house construction etc.

Spondias cytherea is commonly known as ambrella or golden apple, It is a tropical tree belonging to the tree family of Anacardiaceae. Ambrella is a deciduous and fast growing tree attaining a height of 18 m in its native land. A The fruits are edible and it can be eaten raw or cooked. Fruits can be used for making jams, pickles, relishes, soups, stews and juices. There are diverse traditional medicinal uses of the fruits, leaves and bark in different parts of the world. Propagation is by seeds.

Annona atemoya is a hybrid of Annona squamosa and Annona cherimola, apparently originating in Central America and Anthilles. It has delicious edible fruit with a sweet flavor that can be eaten raw It is a deciduous tree growing to a height of 7.5- 10 m

Monodora myrsitica is commonly called African nutmeg or Calabash nutmeg. It is a perennial edible plant of the family Annonaceae. It is found most commonly in evergreen forest of West Africa. The seeds can be used as a spice and also as a local perfume. The seeds can also be used as an insect repellent. African nutmeg is used in the preparation of herbal medicine.

It is used in tonic. The mace is ground into powder and used to flavor cakes, biscuits and bread

It locally known in Ghana as Prekese. It is a species of flowering plant that is in the Fabaceae family. It is native to Western Africa. It is largely harvested from the wild for its edible fruit which is used to prepare soups whilst the bark is used for medicinal purposes. It can attain a maximum growth height of about 20 – 22m

Guava, Psidium guajava, a member of Myrtaceae family is an important perennial fruit tree whose distribution extends from Mexico and the Anthilles to Argentina and Uruguay. It is a Neotropical fruit that is widely consumed around the world. It is an edible fruit and can be eaten raw or cooked.

It is commonly known as miracle berry Synsepalum dulcificum is an evergreen plant in the Sapotaceae family and when eaten, causes sour foods such as (lemons and limes) subsequently consumed to taste sweet. The miracle fruit plant is native to tropical West Africa where it is used locally to sweeten palm wine and other beverages. The miracle fruit plant grows as a dense shrub or small tree, usually not more than 5.5 m high in the wild and generally smaller when cultivated. Propagation is by seed.

Xylopia aethiopicum is commonly called Ethiopian pepper and locally known as ‘hwentea’. Xylopia aethiopicum is a tall, slim, aromatic evergreen tree of the Annonaceae family that grows up to 15- 30 m high and 60-70 cm in diameter. It is native to the lowland rainforest and moist fringe forests in the savanna zones of Africa. It has a wide range of documented uses in folkloric medicine in countries such as Ghana and Nigeria.