| Mongongo nut | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Schinziophyton rautanenii | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Crotonoideae |
| Tribe: | Ricinodendreae |
| Genus: | Schinziophyton Hutch. exRadcl.-Sm. |
| Species: | S. rautanenii |
| Binomial name | |
| Schinziophyton rautanenii | |
| Synonyms | |
Ricinodendron rautaneniiSchinz | |
Themongongo tree,mongongo nut ormanketti tree (Schinziophyton rautanenii) is a member of the familyEuphorbiaceae and themonotypicgenusSchinziophyton.
Native to Africa, the fruits produce an edible nut.
A large, spreading tree, the mongongo reaches 15–20 metres (49–66 ft) tall.[1] The leaves are a distinctivehand-shape,[1] and the pale yellow wood is similar in characteristics tobalsa, being both lightweight and strong. The yellowish flowers occur in slender, loose sprays.
The fruits are known asmongongo fruits,mongongo nuts,manketti nuts ornongongo. The egg-shaped, velvety fruits ripen and fall between March and May each year, and contain a thinexocarp around a thick, hard, pitted shell containing an ediblenut.[1]
The genus ofSchinziophyton wascircumscribed by Josh Hutcherson ex.Alan Radcliffe-Smith in Kew Bull.[2][3]
The genus name ofSchinziophyton is in honour ofHans Schinz (1858–1941), who was a Swiss explorer andbotanist and was a native ofZürich.[4]
Within theRicinodendreae tribe, mongongo is an early clade according to phylogenetic research.[5]
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The mongongo is distributed widely through subtropicalsouthern Africa. There are several distinct belts of distribution, the largest of which reaches from northernNamibia into northernBotswana, south-westernZambia and westernZimbabwe. Another belt is found in easternMalawi, and yet another in easternMozambique.
It is also found inAngola,Tanzania, andZaire.[3]
It is found on wooded hills and amongsand dunes, and is associated with theKalahari sand soil-types.
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Per 100 grams shellednuts:
Mongongo nuts are a staple diet in some areas, most notably among theSan people of northernBotswana andNamibia. Archaeological evidence has shown that they have been consumed by theSan communities forcenturies.[6] Their popularity stems in part from their flavor, and in part from the fact that they store well, and remain edible for much of the year.
Dry fruits are first steamed to soften the skins. After peeling, the fruits are then cooked in water until the maroon-colored flesh separates from the hard inner nuts. The pulp is eaten, and the nuts are saved to be roasted later. Alternatively, nuts are collected fromelephantdung; the hard nuts survive intact through the digestive process after the elephant has consumed and digested them.[6] Once dry, the outer shell cracks easily, revealing the nut, encased within a soft inner shell. The nuts are either eaten intact, or pounded as ingredients in other dishes.
The oil from the nuts has also been traditionally used as a body rub in the dry winter months to clean and moisten the skin. The wood, being both strong and light, makes excellent fishing floats, toys, insulating material and drawing boards.
In 1968, Canadian anthropologistRichard Borshay Lee wrote:[7]
A diet based on mongongo nuts is in fact more reliable than one based on cultivated foods, and it is not surprising, therefore, that when a Bushman was asked why he hadn't taken to agriculture he replied: "Why should we plant, when there are so many mongongo nuts in the world?"
