BOTANICAL RECORD
Dialium guineense Willd.
Yui · African black velvet tamarind · Fabaceae
Growing
Identified and confirmed by JB; reported on 10 October 2026 after recognition the preceding week. No independent botanical examination or field photograph provided in this exchange.
Precautions
Dry pulp and a drink need different storage
Laboratory study
- Ghanaian research found fungi and insects in marketed fruit. At Odo: sort, discard mouldy or infested fruit, keep batches dry in clean containers and record harvest dates. A water extract needs its own storage assessment.
Documentation and strength of evidence
Documentation: Moderate
Claimed effect: Not evaluated
Seed is not interchangeable with pulp
Laboratory study
- Pulp and seed have different compositions. Undetectable amygdalin in the 2025 study is not a complete safety assessment of raw seeds. Remove them from beverage trials. No medicinal bark or root protocol is proposed here.
Documentation and strength of evidence
Documentation: Moderate
Claimed effect: Not evaluated
Seed: trial gentle scarification
Literature synthesis
- The hard seed coat can delay germination. Compare a few gently scarified seeds with an intact group; avoid damaging the interior. IITA recommends partial shade for seedlings and describes slow growth. Keep a draining medium moist without saturation; no guaranteed age at first fruit.
Documentation and strength of evidence
Documentation: Moderate
Claimed effect: Not evaluated
Keep mature trees and recruits
Literature synthesis
- An inventory in Benin’s Lama forest found stronger representation and regeneration in dense forest than in young fallows. For Odo: locate recruits near mature trees and protect them during clearing. Local regeneration remains to be measured.
Documentation and strength of evidence
Documentation: Moderate
Claimed effect: Not evaluated
Start an Odo-specific calendar
Literature synthesis
- Published Ghana references give September–November for flowering and March–May for ripening; a market survey reports January–May. These are not yet Odo dates: observe each tree monthly. Recognition in October does not establish fruiting.
Documentation and strength of evidence
Documentation: Moderate
Claimed effect: Not evaluated
Record sources 16
Sources and origins
Manual for the Propagation and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants of Ghana
- Author or institution
- Amponsah, Crensil, Odamtten & Ofusohene-Djan — Aburi Botanic Garden
- Publication year
- 2002
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Manuel botanique ghanéen
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Osena entry, older scientific spelling “Dialium guinnensis”, pp. 22–24. Reported uses, not clinical validation.
Nutritional Characterization of Fruits from Three African Plant Species
- Author or institution
- Lageiro et al.
- Publication year
- 2025
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Analyse alimentaire originale
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Guinea-Bissau samples; analytical findings used, without adopting botanical errors in the introduction.
Physico-chemical, microbial and sensory properties of kunu zaki beverage sweetened with black velvet tamarind (Dialium guineense)
- Author or institution
- Abiodun, Dauda, Adebisi & Alonge
- Publication year
- 2017
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Étude alimentaire expérimentale
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Nigerian cereal beverage; storage studied for five days at 4 °C, not at ambient temperature.
Studies of Plants Used in Ethnomedicine in Ethiope Council Area of Delta State, Nigeria
- Author or institution
- M. Idu & B. C. Ndukwu
- Publication year
- 2006
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Ethnobotanical survey
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Reported practice in Delta State; no therapeutic trial.
Connaissances ethnobotaniques de Dialium guineense Willd. en Gambie : une voie vers une utilisation durable en Gambie
- Author or institution
- Kargbo et al.
- Publication year
- 2025
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Ethnobotanical survey
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Interviews with 633 residents; local perceptions, neither clinical trial nor global conservation assessment.
Consumer Perception on New Ways of Preparing and Presenting “Koose” and Leaves in Wa, Ghana
- Author or institution
- Glago, Nyefene, Darko & Abdul Rahaman
- Publication year
- 2023
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Étude alimentaire au Ghana
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Names and leaf use in the introduction; sensory experiment used moringa and dandelion.
Dialium guineense — Agroforestree Database 4.0
- Author or institution
- Orwa, Mutua, Kindt, Jamnadass & Simons
- Publication year
- 2009
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Monographie forestière
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Regional calendars; do not describe the Odo trees.
Dialium guineense — Manual of Propagation
- Author or institution
- IITA Forest Center
- Publication year
- 2019
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Guide institutionnel de pépinière
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Nursery outcomes not guaranteed at Busua; acid protocol not reproduced here.
Dialium guineense Willd. — Plants of the World Online
- Author or institution
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Publication year
- Continuously updated database
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Institutional taxonomic reference
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Structural and ethnobotanical characterization of velvet tamarind (Dialium guineense Willd), a multipurpose tree species
- Author or institution
- Lokonon, Bonou, Kassa, Azihou, Assogbadjo & Glèlè Kakaï
- Publication year
- 2013
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Inventaire forestier et enquête
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Study in Lama forest, Benin; no equivalent Odo inventory.
Dialioideae — Legume Data Portal
- Author or institution
- Legume Phylogeny Working Group
- Publication year
- 2017 / base évolutive
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Botanical reference
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
The symbolic efficacy of medicinal plants: practices, knowledge, and religious beliefs amongst the Nalu healers of Guinea-Bissau
- Author or institution
- Amélia Frazão-Moreira
- Publication year
- 2016
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Étude ethnographique
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Belief attributed to a Cantanhez healer; do not generalise to Busua.
Occurrence of nodulation in unexplored leguminous trees native to the West African tropical rainforest and inoculation response of native species useful in reforestation
- Author or institution
- Diabate et al.
- Publication year
- 2005
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Étude de nodulation
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Forest survey in Guinea; no root examination of the Odo trees.
Nutrient composition and nutritional potential of wild fruit Dialium guineense
- Author or institution
- Ayessou et al.
- Publication year
- 2014
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Analyse alimentaire originale
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Senegalese fruit; variable concentrations, not measured at Odo. DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2014.01.002.
JB — Yui recognised at Odo Valley
- Author or institution
- JB
- Publication year
- 2026
- Type
- Reported observation
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Report dated 10 October; identification the preceding week. Natural establishment reported by JB.
Radiation Preservation of Black Velvet Tamarind (Dialium guineense Wild.)
- Author or institution
- G. T. Odamtten — University of Ghana
- Publication year
- 2010
- Source link
- View source ↗
- Type
- Recherche sur marchés et conservation
- Date accessed
- 2026-10-10
Historical survey and analyses; fungal presence does not establish measured mycotoxin concentrations.