Manketti nut (Ricinodendron heudelotii)

Family: Euphorbiaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Ricinodendron heudelotii or Njangsa, Manketti Nut, or Zambezi almond is the sole species in the Ricinodendron genus. It is native to tropical Africa. It is a fast-growing dioecious species with an open and spreading rounded crown, and a cylindrical and straight short-buttressed bole that can be up to 120cm in diameter. It can be found in tropical Africa and grows 40m high. The leaves are alternate, with each leaf comprising 3-5 leaflets each.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet taste. — Although edible, they are not everywhere valued as food.; The kernels are eaten boiled in water or in sauce, or mixed with fish, meat and other vegetables.; They can be roasted and made into a paste, which can be stored and used for making porridge in times of food shortage.; In many areas the seeds are regarded as a famine food, for use when other foods are not available.

Habitat & North American Range

Fringing, deciduous and secondary forests, common throughout the semi-dry wooded-savannah zone. Rain forests, but is typical of the more open, secondary formations and is common on abandoned farmland. (Zone 10)