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African Black Plum
Vitex doniana
Uses: Culinary/Medicinal/Industrial Duration: Perennial (hardy in zones 10-12)
When to Sow: Anytime Ease of Germination: Difficult/Special Treatment Required
This tropical tree is like a Walmart department store for millions of people in savannah regions of sub-Saharan Africa. It is so valuable that when a forest is cleared these trees are usually spared. Virtually every part of the tree is put to use. The young leaves are widely consumed as a cooked vegetable, added to soup, or rolled into salted balls and eaten. The delicious sweet black fruits taste like prunes but better. They make good jams and syrups, and can be made into wine. The seeds can be roasted and ground like coffee. The tree is widely used in traditional medicine for diarrhea and dysentery, jaundice, fever, headache, wounds, conjunctivitis and more. Recent research has shown an extract of the bark repairs liver damage, lowers blood pressure, and eases digestive distress. The teak-like wood is used for house construction, furniture, tools, bowls, spoons, toys, drums, canoes and as firewood. A black extract made by boiling the fruits is used as ink and as a dye. The flowers are so rich in nectar that beekeepers compete to place their beehives next to the trees. It is also a lovely ornamental shade tree, about 8-15m (25-50ft) tall. The seeds are difficult to germinate. They have a hard stone-like coating that must be softened by soaking in water and even then germination is uncertain and can take many months.
S1438-400 Seeds 6 seeds $8.75/pkt
Currency: United States Dollar

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