Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CALONCOBA ECHINATA
Botanical Name —
Caloncoba echinata
(Ol iv.) G i lg.
Synonym —
Oncoba echinata
Ol iv.
Family —
Achariaceae
Common Names —
Gorli
African Names —
Igbo: udara-nwewe; Bini: otiemme; Yoruba: Kakandika
Description —
Caloncoba echinata
is a shrub or small tree about 7 m high, 1 m or less in girth,
with a hard, grayish bark, which appears somewhat corrugated. The leaves are yellowish-green in
color, oblong elliptic, and about 10-30 cm long and 5-10 cm broad. It is narrowly acuminate, entire,
with a long and tapering apex, and rounded base. Leaves have a thin and slightly leathery texture.
The lateral veins (5-6 pairs) are prominent and run wide angles to the midrib, looping well away
from the margins. The stalks are about 2.5 mm long. The plant produces small whitish flowers,
borne in the axils of the leaves and in clusters on common stalks, which are a few millimeters long.
The sepals are about 2.5 mm long, and the petals are 3-4 mm. It flowers from May to November,
and the fruiting begins in August and lasts to May. The fruits are round and yellow or orange-red
in color, bear numerous prickles (echinate), are about 4 cm in diameter, and contain many black or
brown seeds, which are embedded in a white, pithy pulp.
Habitat and Distribution —
This is a forest tree found mainly in undergrowth and secondary
clearings; it occurs in western, central, and parts of southeastern regions of the continent.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The fruit pulp is used by the Mendes of Sierra Leone to prepare a
sweet refreshing drink. The seeds, when chewed, are sweet and oily and leave a peculiar aromatic
aftertaste. The seed oil has been used for making soaps and candles. The plant has a reputation
as a drug for the treatment of leprosy and was cultivated in the past for this purpose. The seeds of
Hydnocarpus wightiana
are, however, preferred for the treatment of leprosy. A lotion made from the
plant has been used in parts of West Africa for pustular eruptions of the skin.
Constituents —
The seeds contain oil whose fatty acids have the cyclopentane nucleus of
chaulmoogric acid. The acid is used in a mixture with hydnocarpic acid for treating leprosy. The
stem bark contains friedelane triterpenes kokoonol, kokoonal, and 3β,21β-dihydroxy-30-nor-(D:A)-
friedo-olean-27-oic acid,
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as well as cycloartane-type triterpenoids glaucartanoic acids A and B
isolated from the fruits.
Pharmacological Studies —
Caloncoba
echinata
has not been investigated much pharma-
cologically. The cycloartanes isolated from the fruits of the related
C. glauca
have been found to
possess cytotoxic activity.
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CAPSICUM ANNUUM
Botanical Name —
Capsicum annuum
L.
Synonyms —
Capsicum cerasiforme
Lank.m,
Capsicum chamaecerasus
Nees.,
Capsicum lon-
gum
DC. Over 30 synonyms and varieties are known to exist.
Related Species —
Capsicum
annuum
var.
glabriusculum
(Dunal) Heiser & Pickersgill
Family —
Solanaceae
Common Names —
Red pepper (English), piment doux, piment des jardins, gros piment, poiv-
ron (French)
African Names —
Arabic: filfil romi; Bambara: forotu, kilikili; Hausa: barkono, barkhannu;
Igbo: totoshi; Swahili: pilipili-hoho; Yoruba: ata wewe
Description —
Capsicum annuum
L. is an annual or biennial suffrutescent plant that can reach
over 1 m in height. The leaves are ovale lanceolate, 6 × 3.5 cm. The flowers are greenish-white and
