Boscia senegalensis

Boscia senegalensis
Unripe fruits
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Capparaceae
Genus:	Boscia
Species:	B. senegalensis
Binomial name
Boscia senegalensis (Pers.) Lam. ex Poir.

Boscia senegalensis, or hanza, is a member of the family Capparaceae.

The plant originated from West Africa. Still a traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known fruit has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.

B. senegalensis is a perennial woody plant species of the Boscia genus in the caper (Capparaceae) family. This plant is classified as a dicot. Native to the Sahel region in Africa, this evergreen shrub can grow anywhere from 2 to 4 m (6 ft 7 in to 13 ft 1 in) in height under favourable conditions. The leaves of the plant are small and leathery, reaching 12 cm × 4 cm (4.7 in × 1.6 in).B. senegalensis produces fruits, clustered in small bunches, in the form of yellow spherical berries, up to 1.5 cm (0.59 in) in diameter. These fruits contain 1–4 seeds, which are a greenish hue when mature.

B. senegalensis is recognized as a potential solution to hunger and a buffer against famine in the Sahel region due to the variety of useful products it yields. It produces products for consumption, household needs, and medicinal and agricultural uses.

Other common names include: aizen (Mauritania), mukheit (Arabic), hanza (Hausa), bere (Bambara), ngigili (Fulani), and mandiarha (Berber). The fruits are also known as dilo (Hausa), bokkhelli (Arabic), gigile (Fulani).

B. senegalensis is a wild species, native to the Sahel region in Africa. It has not yet been domesticated. It currently grows in: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, and Togo.

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Wikipedia