Wild Loquat Uapaca kirkiana (Müell) Arg. Family Euphorbiaceae

F.K Akinifesi, 'Wild Loquat Uapaca kirkiana (Müell) Arg. Family Euphorbiaceae', p.11, 2005

1. International Centre of Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), SADC-ICRAF Agroforestry Project, Chitedze Agricultural Research Station, P.O. Box 30798,Lilongwe, Malawi (Author for correspondence; [email protected] ). ICRAF Southern Africa Regional Programme, PO Box 128, Mount Pleasant Harare, Zimbabwe.Uapaca kirkiana (Family Euphorbiaceae), known as wild loquat, is a tropical indigenous fruit tree native to the miombo ecological zone. The ecological zone stretches over eight countries in central and southern Africa, from Angola and northern Namibia in the West across northern Botswana and northern South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, south of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi, to Tanzania and Mozambique in the East. The zone is mostly deciduous, non-spinescent woodland with a shrub layer of variable density and composition. The total flora consists of about 650 species, including more than 50 indigenous fruit tree species.Ethnobotanical surveys conducted in 451 households surveyed in Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, have shown that wild loquat is the preferred fruit tree in the region. This preference in southern Africa is based on its role in food security, potential for income generation, and nutrition. The fruit forms a vital part of the diet in rural households, and plays a significant role during periods of famine in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. Since Uapaca kirkiana occurs in eight southern Africa countries, it has many vernacular names (Table 1). A number of them simply reflect different ways of spelling the same word in the different Bantu languages or dialects