About

Ximenia americana, commonly known as tallow wood, hog plum, yellow plum, sea lemon, or pi'ut (Chamorro), is bush-forming shrub/small tree; a species from the Ximenia genus in the Olacaceae family. It is mainly found in the tropics, ranging from Africa, India and southeast Asia, to Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, West Indies, Central, North and South America. It is especially common in Africa and South America. It is not domesticated so it is only found occurring in the wild.

They grow in areas with more than 500 mm of mean annual rainfall and up to heights of 2000 m. It is commonly found in a variety of diverse habitats ranging from dry woodlands, hilly areas to coastal bushlands, along riverbanks, and mangroves They are commonly found in poor and dry soil types. The plant has not been domesticated; as such, it only occurs in the wild.

How to grow it

There have been no recorded cases of the domestication of X. americana. However, it is noted that Ximenia americana can easily propagated by planting fresh seeds in a mixture of 5 parts soil and 1 part compost. Germination is usually observed 14 to 30 days after the seed has been planted. The plant grows about 0.5 m (1.6 ft) every year, a moderate growth rate. It can grow on loamy, clay soil, and other types of poor and dry soil and is adaptable to changes in soil pH. It is drought-resistant, making it a good source of food during dry periods. It is also tolerant of mild flooding, that occur during storms or floods, for short periods of time. It is also mildly tolerant of salty soil types and salt sprays and winds. Due to the semiparasitic roots, it grows well around other plants and is best grown next a host like oak.

Safety

Leaves containing the cyanogenic glycoside sambunigrin at 100 ppm were noted to be fatal for the freshwater snail, Bulinus globus, the species responsible for causing the disease schistosomiasis. Researchers noted that X. americana extract had no deaths when the toxic effects of the extract of the plant for 14 days, however, after an oral administration of 2000 mg.kg−1, forced breathing and analgesia in the animals were noted. Another study was conducted on the effects of the liquid extracts of the root, stem and leaves of X. americana on the blood and the liver, and damage to the cells of the liver were noted.

Where it grows

It is found in many habitats, predominantly in semi-arid bushlands and in dry and moist woodlands, sandy open woodlands, dry hilly areas, coastal bushlands, countrysides, shrub savannahs, forest lands and along watercourses such as riverbanks and stony slopes. X. americana occurs in altitudes up to 2000 m (6562 ft) and where mean annual rainfall is more than 500 mm. It grows on many soil types such as clay soils, clay muddy, silt sandy; however, it is mostly observed growing on poor and dry soil. It can also absorb nutrients and water from other plant species through its roots, however, it does not use this method as its mode of survival.