Dialium guineense

Dialium guineense, the velvet tamarind,^[3] is a tall, tropical, fruit-bearing tree in the family Fabaceae. It has small, typically grape-sized, edible fruits with brown, hard, inedible shells.

Dialium guineense
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Dialium
Species:	D. guineense
Binomial name
Dialium guineense Willd.[2]
Synonyms[2]
Codarium acutifolium Afzel. Codarium discolor DC. Codarium nitidum Sol. ex Vahl Codarium obtusifolium Afzel. Codarium solanderi Vahl Dialium anomalum Webb Dialium discolor Hook.f. Dialium nitidum (Sol. ex Vahl) Guill. & Perr.

Distribution and habitat

Dialium guineense is native to West Africa, from Senegal east to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.^[1] It grows in dense forests along the southern edge of the Sahel.

Uses

The bark and leaves have medicinal properties and are used against several diseases.^{[citation needed]}

Fruit

Fruit

Each fruit typically has one hard, flat, round, brown seed, typically 7-8 millimeters across and 3 millimeters thick. The seed somewhat resembles a watermelon seed (Citrullus lanatus). Some have two seeds. The seeds are shiny, coated with a thin layer of starch.

The pulp is edible and may be eaten raw or soaked in water and consumed as a beverage. The bitter leaves are ingredients in a Ghanaian dish called domoda.

African Velvet tamarind

Timber

Wood is hard and heavy and used for construction. The wood is also used for firewood and charcoal production