MBUNGU

(Saba comorensis)

A wild growing climber of mbungu

Family:  Apocynaceae

Synonyms:  Landolphia comorensis, Saba florida.

Other names: Rubber vine, vbundu.

Mbungu is a fruit from Africa.  It seems to have originated somewhere in Comoros or Madagascar.  It is very abundant in undisturbed forests, coastal areas and around the Great lakes region of Africa.  This plant is rarely seen in open areas.

Description:

A strong climber uto 20 m long on other trees. 

Stem lenticillate and exuding a white sticky latex when cut.

Flowers of mbungu

Leaves ovate or elliptic, base rounded or subcordate, apex obtuse or rounded, 7-16 x 4-8.5 cm, glabrous.

Flowers fragrant, borne in many short stalked terminal or axillary corymbs; corolla tubular, throat yellow, petals white.

Fruit subglobose , 4-8 cm long and 3.5-6 cm wide, pitted, greenish when young, turning orange-yellow after ripening; pulp yellow.

Seeds numerous, brown-black and coated with orange-yellow pulp.

Utilization:

The fruit is very sour but still it is eaten by local people.  The fruit is also sold in market places. A refreshing sour drink can be made from the fruit. As the fruit can keep for long and does not rot easily, so it can be exported to other countries.

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Fruits of mbungu

            The stem yields latex which is used as an inferior rubber.

Cultivation:

Mubungu fruits are collected from wild only and the plant is not cultivated.  It can, however, be propagated from seed.  The seeds germinate very easily giving upto 90 per cent germination.  In nature, the seed is dispersed by birds.

            The vines do not fruit regularly.  In Tanzania, the flowering season also keeps varying.

            The fruits do not fall off after ripening.  So these must be harvested when ripe.  The ripening is indicated by the change of colour from green to yellow.