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Detarium senegalense
Also called Tallowtree
Detarium senegalense is a medium-sized leguminous tree from West Africa, grown for its sweet-sour fruit, timber and folk medicine rather than as a garden ornamental. It is not cultivated systematically and is mostly harvested from wild or semi-wild trees.
Detarium senegalense is a leguminous tree in the subfamily Detarioideae. Unlike most members of the family, it produces globular fruits. Its common names include ditax, ditakh, detar, and tallow tree. The tree is of value for several reasons: the fruit is nutritious, is locally prominent in folk medicine, and is a source of quality timber. It could contribute to food security, sustainable land care, and rural development. As its Linnaean name indicates, it is native to Senegal and the surrounding countries of West Africa.
Trees of the genus Detarium have not as yet been subjected to systematic culture or genetic improvement, and currently they remain confined to their countries of origin in West Africa. The fruits produced by the Detarium senegalense tree were described as “detar” in 1789, by De Jussieu in Senegal, Africa. Being discovered in Senegal, these trees still remain an important contributor to the country’s local food system and economy. Detarium senegalense trees are typically found growing in gallery forests, savannas, or along river banks.
Detarium senegalense trees are propagated by stones which are often distributed by animals who consume the fruits. Germination occurs 6–10 weeks after propagation, though the germination rate is typically low. Although tallow trees are leguminous, they do not fix significant amounts of nitrogen. The Detarium senegalense tree has two phases of fructification. Trees generally lose their leaves at the beginning of March and experience a renewal of leaves a few weeks later. After young leaves have developed, flowering occurs.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Detarium senegalense by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
