Arere (Triplochiton scleroxylon)

Family: Malvaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Triplochiton scleroxylon, or commonly known as African Whitewood, is a large, tropical, deciduous tree about 65 m in height and 150 cm in trunk diameter, with large buttresses and straight trunk covered with dark gray, smooth bark. The leaves have lobes arranged like fingers on a hand. The flowers are saucer-shaped and hairy with white petals but reddish-purple at the base. The fruits have wings.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Leaves - cooked. They are used as a cooked vegetable or sauce in traditional cuisine in west Africa. — They are used as a cooked vegetable or sauce in traditional cuisine in west Africa.

Habitat & North American Range

Lowland half-deciduous forest; abandoned cultivated ground in transition zone between rain- and half-deciduous forest; old secondary forests. (Zone 10)