Landolphia florida, Landolphia owariensis.

Landolphia florida Benth. Apocynaceae. Rubber Tree.

Tropical Africa. This species furnishes the abo of tropical Africa, eaten by the natives. Montiero describes a species of this genus, probably this, as occurring in Angola, and called rubber tree. The fruit, the size of a large orange, is yellow when ripe; the shell is hard and bitter and the inside full of a soft, reddish pulp in which the seeds are contained. This pulp is of an agreeable acid flavor and is much liked by the natives. On the Niger, according to Barter, its fruit, which is very sour, is eaten by the natives under the name of dboli.

Landolphia owariensis Beauv.

Tropical Africa. This a climbing plant, the fruit of which is the size of an orange and has a reddish-brown, woody shell and an agreeable, sweetish-acid pulp. It is eaten by the natives and is called abo. Schweinfurth says the fruit exceeds in sourness that of the citron and the natives of Djur-land manufacture a beverage from it as refreshing as lemonade.


Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World, 1919, was edited by U. P. Hedrick.