Vitellaria

Vitellaria paradoxa

taxon

Subclass of	useful plant
Short name	V. paradoxa
Taxon name	Vitellaria paradoxa
Taxon rank	species
Parent taxon	Vitellaria
Taxon synonym	Butyrospermum parkii
This taxon is source of	shea wood, shea butter
IUCN conservation status	Vulnerable
GRIN URL	https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=102598

Vitellaria paradoxa (formerly Butyrospermum parkii), commonly be known as shea tree, shi tree (/ˈʃiː(ə)/, sanso be /ʃeɪ/), anaa vitellaria, be a tree of de family Sapotaceae. E be de species per insyd de genus Vitellaria, wey ebe indigenous to Africa.

De shea fruit dey consist of a thin, tart, nutritious pulp wey dey surround a relatively large, oil-rich seed from wich dem dey extract shea butter. E be a deciduous tree usually 7–15 m (23–49 ft) tall, buh e reach 25 m (82 ft) den a trunk diameter of 2 m (6.6 ft).

De shea tree be a traditional African food plant. Na dem say e get potential make e improve nutrition, boost food supply insyd de "annual hungry season", foster rural development, den support sustainable land care.

Description

De tree start dey bear ein first fruit wen e be 10 to 15 years old; e dey attain full production wen de tree dey about 20 to 30 years old. E then dey produce nuts for up to 200 years.

De fruits dey resemble large plums 4 to 8 centimetres long wey dey weigh between 10 den 57 grams each. Dese fruits dey take 4 to 6 months make dem ripe; de average yield be 15 to 20 kg (33 to 44 lb) of fresh fruit per tree, plus optimum yields up to 45 kilograms (99 pounds). Each kilogram of fruit dey give approximately 400 grams (14 ounces) of dry seeds. De fruit be edible.

Nomenclature den taxonomy

Vitellaria be a monotypic genus, i.e., e dey comprise one species per. Na dem know de species e get chaw botanically as Vitellaria paradoxa, Butyrospermum parkii, den Butyrospermum paradoxum. Na chaw botanical works from de late 19th den much of de 20th centuries use de name Butyrospermum parkii, wich still be commonly found insyd de cosmetics trade. However, Vitellaria paradoxa be de oldest name (dem publish insyd 1807) wey na e be generally used for recent decades insyd, as dem necessitate by de rules of botanical nomenclature; efforts insyd 1962 make dem make Butyrospermum de official scientific name give de genus (i.e., make dem "conserve" de name) na ebe unsuccessful.

De species dey comprise two subspecies:

Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. paradoxa  (roughly from de Nigeria-Cameroon border westward).

Vitellaria paradoxa subsp. nilotica (Kotschy) A.N. Henry & Chithra & N.C. Nair (roughly from de Nigeria-Cameroon border eastward).

Distribution den habitat

Distribution of shea trees

De shea tree dey grow naturally insyd de wild insyd de dry savannah belt of West den South from Senegal insyd de west to Sudan den South Sudan insyd de east, den onto de foothills of de Ethiopian highlands. E dey occur insyd 19 countries across de African continent, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, den Guinea. De habitat area dey extend over more dan 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi).

A testa dem find for de site of de medieval village of Saouga be evidence of shea butter production by de 14th century.

Uses

Shea butter get chaw uses wey fi be anaa no fi be refined. Insyd de West ebe most commonly used as an emollient insyd cosmetics wey ebe less commonly used for chow insyd. Thru out Africa e be used extensively for chow, e be a major source of dietary fat, den for medicinal purposes. Insyd Ghana den Nigeria, shea butter be a major ingredient for making de African black soap.

Dem dey prepare a sandwich plus fried shea tree caterpillars for de Boromo bus station insyd Burkina Faso.

De edible protein-rich caterpillars of de moth Cirina butyrospermi wich dey feed solely for ein leaves be widely collected wey dem dey chop am raw, dried anaa fried.

Composition of shea butter

Leaves of a shea nut tree

Shea butter extract be a complex fat dat in addition to chaw nonsaponifiable components (substances wey dem no fi fully convert dem into soap by treatment plus alkali) dey contain de fatty acids wey dey follow: oleic acid (40–60%), stearic acid (20–50%), linoleic acid (3–11%), palmitic acid (2–9%), linolenic acid (<1%) den arachidic acid (<1%). E sanso dey contain de vitamins A, E den F.

Etymology

De common name be shíyiri (insyd N'Ko: ߛ߭ߌ߭ߦߌߙߌ) anaa shísu (ߛ߭ߌ߭ߛߎ, lit. "shea tree") insyd de Bambara language of Mali. Dis be de origin of de English word, wey ein primary pronunciation be /ʃiː/ (wey dey rhyme plus "tea"), although de pronunciation /ʃeɪ/ (wey dey rhyme plus "day") be common wey e be listed second insyd major dictionaries. Dem dey call de tree ghariti insyd de Wolof language of Senegal, wich be de origin of de French name of de tree den de butter, karité.

Insyd Hausa language dem dey call de tree Kaɗe anaa Kaɗanya. Indeed, de shea tree be so indispensable insyd Mole-Dagbang culinary den ethno-botanical practices wey de Northern Ghanaian city of Tamale etymologically dey derive ein name from de more traditional Dagomba name 'Tama-yile' (wey dey mean 'Home of Shea nuts').

Na de tree be formerly classified insyd de genus Butyrospermum, wey dey mean "butter seed". De species name parkii dey honor Scottish explorer Mungo Park, wey na he learn of de tree while he dey explore Senegal. Na Park ein Scottish origin be reflected insyd de English word shea, plus a final -ea.

External links

• Vitellaria paradoxa. In: Brunken, U., et al. 2008. West African Plants — A Photo Guide. Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt/Main.