Sarcocephalus latifolius (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)

Sarcocephalus latifolius Rubiaceae Scanty info Indigenous

• Agnuakgna: Mogno
• Mejengrgna: Kow

Growing in Dry Moist Bereha and in Dry, Wet and Moist Kolla agroclimatic zones of Gambella, Gojam, Ilubabor and Kefa, 300- 1,400 m, annual rainfall 600-2,000 mm.

The wood from branches is used for knife handles and fuelwood. The bark, leaves and roots are boiled in water and used to treat back pain. The fruit is edible. Bees feed on the flowers.

It is a shrub to small tree that grows to a height of 7 metres. Stem grayish in colour.

• LEAVES shiny green above, pale green underneath, 6 - 17 cm in length and 4-12 cm in width; leaf petiole up to 2.5 cm, reddish in colour and about 3cm in length, margin simple, leaves curved towards inside, midrib coarse from outer side and flat from inside.
• FLOWER: Flowering nodes 3 – 5 cm in diameter, corolla whitish to pinkish.
• FRUIT: edible, 3 -8 cm in diameter, fruiting in February; seeds many.

Seedlings, Wildings.

• Treatment : Need to macerate the fruit.
• Storage: Seeds can be stored for weeks.

Wood susceptible to termite attack. Flowering in January.