African locust bean(Parkia biglobosa),200g/$5, shipping$10, phyto certificate$12

200g seeds/purchase



General Information

African locust bean is a deciduous tree with a dense, wide, spreading and umbrella-shaped crown consisting of heavy branches; it can grow from 7 - 20 metres, with exceptional specimens to 30 metres.

The usually straight and cylindrical bole is often short, with branches produced low down; it can be up to 130cm in diameter. A taproot is often present, with lateral roots spreading up to 10 metres, occasionally 20 metres, from the bole.

African locust bean is a very important, multi-purpose tree, it is commonly gathered from the wild for local use as food, medicine and to provide a wide range of commodities. The tree is often planted in and around villages for its many uses, whilst it has also become widely planted in Agroforestry systems throughout the tropics, where it provides shade and shelter for the other crops.


Edible Uses:

The pods contain a sweet, yellow, farinaceous pulp surrounding the seeds. This pulp can be eaten fresh or made into sweetmeats and drinks. It contains up to 29% crude protein and up to 60% saccharose, is rich in vitamin C and high in oil content. The pulp also yields a flour that is much used in parts of Africa. The pink brown to dark brown pods are about 45cm long and 2cm wide.

Seeds are fermented to make dawadawa, a black, strong-smelling, tasty food high in protein. Dried fermented seeds keep for more than a year in traditional earthenware pots without refrigeration, and small amounts are crumbled during cooking into traditional soups and stews that are usually eaten with sorghum- or millet-based dumplings and porridges. Because of the savoury taste and the high protein and fat values of the seed, it is sometimes described as a meat or cheese substitute, but it is not usually eaten in large amounts. Dawadawa is rich in protein, lipids and vitamin B2. Parinari curatellifolia is deficient in the amino acids methionine, cystine and tryptophan, but fermented beans are rich in lysine. The fat in the beans is nutritionally useful (approximately 60% is unsaturated).

The seeds contain antinutritional factors and have to be processed before use as food. Boiled and fermented seeds contain 35% proteins, 29% lipids, 16% carbohydrates and have good organoleptic properties and a positive effect on intestinal flora.

Propagation: The seed can germinate within 10 days without any pretreatment methods, however, pretreatment methods can be use to speed up germination.