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Anonidium mannii, the junglesop, is a fast-growing tropical African tree that grows to 8–30 m high, with a girth of up to 2 m. It has 20–40 cm long leaves and large flowers which produce edible fruits generally around 4–6 kg, but which can be up to around 15 kg. Fruit flavor is rich but variable and is sometimes described as an acquired taste, though the fruits are generally in high demand in Africa, with large fruits commanding high prices. The fruit is a favorite with local people (who refer to it as "bobo") and local primates, especially bonobos.
Recommended cultivation distance is 8 meters square, and planting several trees together is recommended to ensure good pollination. Trees reportedly prefer a rich, acidic and moist but well drained soil. As an understory tree, it is shade tolerant, but susceptible to wind damage. Attempts at cultivation have also been hampered by insect attack and fungal diseases.
Where it occurs naturally, the tree is not generally cultivated, possibly due to the availability of the fruit from wild trees, possibly due to the fact that although fast-growing, trees take so long to bear fruit.
The natural range of the junglesop is the rain forests of west-central Africa, from Ghana and southern Nigeria through Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It grows in lowland rainforests, and in fringing forest and adjacent savanna especially next to rivers, provided the soil is well drained.
Anonidium brieyi · Anonidium floribundum · Anonidium letestui · Anonidium usambarense · Anonidium
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Anonidium mannii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
