Mantamba Fruit Plant (Landolphia owariensis)

Landolphia owariensis

Common Names: Mantamba, White rubber vine, Burkill

Botanical Name: Landolphia owariensis

General Information:

Type: Liana (woody vine)

Family: Apocynaceae

Native To: Tropical Africa (W Cameroons, extending across central Africa to Sudan, Uganda, and southern Tanganyika)

Latex extraction for natural rubber manufacture

Also known as eta, the white rubber vine, and the Congo rubber plant

Can be an erect bush or small tree in the savannah

Develops into a woody vine with a stem up to a meter wide and 100 m long in forested areas

Rough, dark brown or greyish-brown bark with pale yellow lenticels

Milky latex exudes when damaged

Leaves are opposite pairs, oblong, elliptical, or obovate, up to 25 by 12 cm

Young leaves are reddish, later becoming dark green and glossy

Terminal panicles of flowers with yellowish, pinkish, or white corolla tubes and lobes

Rounded, wrinkled fruits resembling oranges with juicy, slightly acid pulp and usually three seeds 

Cultural and Culinary Uses:

Known as eta, the vine is native to various regions in Africa

Fruits are consumed by both animals and people

Juicy and slightly acidic fruits with edible pulp 

Cultivation Information:

Bloom Time/Fruiting: 3 to 4 Years

Maintenance Required: Moderate