137 



IRVINGIA, Hook. f. 



Irvingia Barteri, Hook./. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. I. p. 314. 



Z/Z.-Hook. Ic. PL t. 1246 ; Ann. Inst. Col. Marseille, 1893, t, 4 

 (I. gabonensis) ; Ann. Fac. Sc. Marseille, iii. 1893, t. 13 (/. gabon- 

 ensis) ; Engl. & Prantl, Pflan. iii. pt. 4, f. 132 (/. gabonensis) ; 

 Thornier, Bliitenpfl. Afr. t, 75 ; Drabble, in Journ. A-H Inst. 

 Comm. Res. Tropics, Liverpool Univ. Jan. 1908, p. 20 (Seeds /. 

 gabonensis.) 



Vernac. names. — Oro (Lagos, Rowland, Dawodu, Miilen) ; Oro 

 (Yoruba Moloney) ; Okerli (Benin, Unuiri) ; O'Dika, Dika, or 

 Udika (Gaboon, Heckel, Mann) ; Iba or Oba (M'Pongwe, Heckel) ; 

 N'Dogo or Endogo (Pahouin, Heckel) ; Ndisok (Old Calabar, 

 Holland) ; Ujio {Drabble). — Dika Bread : Dika Nut ; Gaboon 

 Chocolate ; Wild Mango. 



Abeokuta ; Lagos ; Yoruba ; Asaba ; Old Calabar ; Cross River, 

 and throughout W. Africa. 



The fruit is edible, in flavour somewhat like the ordinary 

 Mango (Mangifera indica) but very inferior. The natives eat it, 

 but they attach greater importance to the kernel, from which they 

 make the so-called " Dika " or " Udika " bread, which consists of 

 the bruised kernels warmed and pressed into a cake. It is used 

 largely, when scraped or grated, in stews, and, in general, forms a 

 staple article of food amongst the natives (Mus. Kew). Dika 

 bread is sometimes mixed with the roasted seeds of Pentaclethra 

 macrophylla (Mus. Kew) and Fegimanra africana (Drabble, 

 Journ. Inst. Comm. Res. Tropics, Liverpool Univ. Jan. 1908, 

 p. 20). 



Lewkowitsch finds decorticated seeds — sun-dried kernels — from 

 8. Nigeria to contain 54*3 per cent, of solid fat, having a specific 

 gravity of 0'914 at 40° C. ; melting point 38*9° C. ; saponification 

 value 244-5 ; iodine value 5'2 (Year Book of Pharm. 1906, p. 30). 

 The fat is considered suitable for soap and candle-making, for 

 which purposes its value is regarded as equal to that of Palm- 

 kernel oil — £27 5s. per ton (Bull. Imp. Inst. 1908, p. 375, where a 

 complete analysis is given) — and if it could be obtained perfectly 

 fresh and pure, might also equal some of the present substitutes 

 for butter and lard. 



The commercial valuation of the fat (from sun-dried kernels) 

 has been given at from £25 to £27 per ton, and that of the kernels 

 probably £10 to £12 per ton. Messrs. Miller Bros.' machine for 

 cracking Palm Nuts (Elaeis guineensis) has been tried at the 

 Imperial Institute with u Dika " Nuts, and when used with care 

 1 appears to be suitable for extracting the kernels (Bull. Imp. Inst. 

 1906, p. 20). It is not considered advisable to ship the nuts whole. 

 In a supply of unshelled nuts (50 lb.) from S. Nigeria received at 

 the Imperial Institute, only 5 per cent, were fit for use. It is 

 recommended that the oil should be extracted on the spot, or sun- 

 dried kernels shipped (I.e. p. 21). A small trade was done in the 

 seeds by some of- the trading houses in the R. Province of 

 S. Nigeria during 1906 (Col. Rep. Misc. No. 51, 1908, p. 41). 



