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| Pentadesma butyracea | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Clusiaceae |
| Genus: | Pentadesma |
| Species: | P. butyracea |
| Binomial name | |
| Pentadesma butyracea | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Pentadesma butyracea is a tree native to the forests of tropical Africa fromSierra Leone toCameroon. It has multiple uses, the main one being the manufacture of a kind of butter called "kpangnan butter" similar toshea butter. Thetimber is used incabinetmaking and construction.
It is sometimes calledAfrican butter tree.
Pentadesma butyracea has a straight, cylindricalbole withoutbuttress and an average height of 20 m.. It bears large bright red flowers, giving edible berries whose seed is used to make butter.
The flowers of the butter tree are pollinated by theWoermann's bat.
The seeds are used to make kpangnan butter also calledpainya,kanya inBenin,Kanga in Sierra Leone,Akpoto inTogo among others. This butter can be stored for one to three years without going rancid.
Kpangnan is traded locally, particularly in central Togo and Benin. It is occasionally sold in the US and Europe as "yellow shea butter", In reality, shea butter and kpangnan are extracted from two different tree species and have noticeably different scents, appearances and textures. A feature unique to kpangnan butter is its highstigmasterol content (around 45% of thesterol content). Stigmasterol is the sterolunsaturated vegetable fat usually found in plant parts such ascalabar bean,soybean oil,rapeseed oil, andcocoa butter. Stigmasterol is used as a base material in the production of syntheticprogesterone, but has other interesting properties. Research shows that stigmasterol can reduce the risk of certain cancers, including ovarian cancer.[citation needed]
Like shea butter, kpangnan has been harvested in West Africa for generations. It is used in cosmetics (for hair, to moisturize the skin), as edible oil, and for the manufacture of traditional soaps.
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| Edible plants / roots | |
| Mushrooms | |
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| Resins | |
| Sap / gum / etc. | |
| Other | |
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