Thaumatococcus daniellii (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Thaumatococcus daniellii (Bennet) Benth.

Family: Marantaceae

Synonyms

• Donax daniellii (Bennet) Roberty,
• Monostiche daniellii (Bennet) Horan.,
• Phrynium daniellii Bennet

Vernacular names

• Katemfe, katamfe, miraculous fruit (En)

• Fruit miraculeux (Fr)

Distribution

West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Congo. Occasionally cultivated, also outside its natural area of distribution.

Uses

The aril of the seed contains a sweet-tasting protein (thaumatin) that can be used as a substitute for sugar, also in low caloric diets and drinks. Because of the persistent sweet aftertaste, it also "sweetens” normally bitter or sour substances. Sometimes it is especially cultivated for its leaves (e.g. in Nigeria), which are used for roofing and packing.

Observations

• Rhizomatous herb with short stem bearing a single leaf.
• Petiole 2-3 m tall; blade ovate, very large, 60 cm × 40 cm or larger.
• Inflorescence a raceme, 10 cm long, subsessile; flowers whitish-pinkish, about 2 cm long.
• Fruit a triangular capsule, about 3 cm in diameter, 3-loculed.
• Seed 3-sided, irregularly pyramidal surrounded by a whitish aril, which is transparent and jelly like, swelling considerably in water.

T. daniellii occurs in lowland tropical rain forest. Propagation is mainly by rhizome cuttings and shade is necessary for good growth. Planting distance is about 1 m × 1 m. In Africa first flowering starts 3 months after planting but flowering is more abundant after about 1 year. Good fruits develop only in plants that are 2 years old or older. Young fruits mature in 13 weeks.

Thaumatin is the sweetest of known natural and synthetic substances, 2000-3000 times sweeter than sucrose. T. daniellii might be an interesting source of a natural sweetener for South-East Asia. Other potential sources of natural sweeteners are: Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii (Stapf) Diels (serendipity berry, containing monellin) and Synsepalum dulcificum (Schum. & Thonner) Baillon (miraculous berry, containing miraculin).

Selected sources

2, 12, 13, 30, 60, 63, 67, 97.

• Adansi, M.A. & Holloway, H.L.O., 1977. The cultivation of katamfe (Thaumatococcus daniellii Benth.). Acta Horticulturae 53: 403-406.

• Burkill, I.H., 1935. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2 volumes. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, United Kingdom. 2402 pp. (slightly revised reprint, 1966. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.).

• Burkill, H.M., 1985- . The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. Vol. 1- . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom.

• Flore du Cameroun [Flora of Cameroon] (various editors), 1965- . Vol. 1- . Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Laboratoire de Phanérogamie, Paris, France.

• Mansfeld, R., 1986. Verzeichnis landwirtschaftlicher und gärtnerischer Kulturpflanzen (ohne Zierpflanzen) [Register of agricultural and horticultural plants in cultivation (without ornamentals)]. Schultze‑Motel, J. et al., editors 2nd edition, 4 volumes. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany. 1998 pp.

• Most, B.H., Summerfield, R.J. & Boxall, M., 1978. Tropical plants with sweetening properties. Physiological and agronomic problems of protected cropping. 2. Thaumatococcus daniellii. Economic Botany 32: 321-335.

• Onwueme, I.C., Onochie, B.E. & Sofowora, E.A., 1979. Cultivation of T. danielli - the sweetner. World Crops 31: 106-111.

• Walker, A.R. & Sillans, R., 1961. Les plantes utiles du Gabon [The useful plants of Gabon]. Encyclopédie Biologique 56. Éditions Paul Lechevalier, Paris, France. 614 pp.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen