XIMENIA AMERICANA

XIMENIA AMERICANA

Scientific name: XIMENIA AMERICANA

French: sea lemon, sea plum or wild olive, Wolof: Ngolen FON: KLIVOVWE

Shrub or small tree up to 4 to 5 m tall. It is sometimes sarmentose, The leaves are entities, simple and alternate Blooms in small umbelliform roots

The species is typical by its stiff, straight, very sharp spines, a thorn usually found in the axil of each leaf.

It is also more or less thorny in the savannah, while it is quite thorny in more humid habitats.

The leaves are entities, simple, alternate, narrowly elliptical or oblong-ovate, 3

7 cm long by 3 cm wide, obtuse at the top, sometimes marginal, glabrous; 4 to 5 pairs of lateral veins almost effaced. The leaves are short-stalked 6-7 mm. The midrib is arched.

The bark is fibrous, dark brown, with a red slice. The yellowish-green flowers are organized in short, hanging clusters. They carry 4 petals with very long hairs and erect inside the corolla measuring 1 cm long.

The oval, yellow fruits when ripe have the appearance of a plum, glabrous, edible, with flesh

Tangy, juicy and contains an oilseed. This seed is an almond of 1.5

cm in diameter deemed toxic. The wood is yellow-red, heavy, hard, thin sheaths resembling wooden crates and similar to the ashtray. Families close to Celastraceae and Santalaceae to which it is sometimes attached

The plant is present in all the African savannas, on the coastal sands, the thickets of the seaside in contact with the tides, and the forest galleries. Pantropical shrub,

Also widespread in the savannah of Latin America, Australia, and New Guinea. It is common in the Sudano-Guinean savannas, from Senegal to the Republic

Central African. Its range reaches Eritrea, Tanzania, and Kenya.

It grows in the undergrowth of the Sudanese dry hole, especially on clay soils

And also on the banks of rivers.

In Senegal, where it is irregularly distributed, it is found in Saloum, Niani, upper and middle Casamance, and Niokolo Koba.

Ximenia Americana is a plant well known across the savannah of Tropical Africa for its medicinal properties. All parts of this plant are used.

The plant is prescribed in some cases of gonorrhea by making a decoction (drink) of

Leafy twigs with lemon juice added. This preparation makes urinating a lot Commiphora Africana root and Ximenia Americana in maceration for a week are used in the case of heart problems or prevention. Powder from the pounded root is indicated in the treatment of gangrene. A decoction of the roots for the treatment of gastritis ulcers and the pulverized roots are used against rheumatism.