Modelo de Quasispecies

The Karité ( Vitellaria paradoxa ) is the single known species of the kind Vitellaria and of the family of the Sapotaceae . It is a Arbre pushing in the raised Savane S of the West Africa (Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal) like to the Cameroun, in République of Congo, DRC, Sudan and in Uganda. The Ivory Coast, the Mali and Sudan are the three African territories producing the best shea tree, because of the constitution of their ground. It is a tree considered as crowned and for this reason, the autochtones conceive neither to cut it, nor to destroy it some manner that it either.

The species is on the list of the species threatened of IUCN mainly because of the bush fires of human origin.

Etymology

The name “shea tree” means “tree with butter” in Wolof. It is called also if tulu (to pronounce " shi toulou") in Bambara (of or its English name, “ shea tree ”).

The tree is better known under its old name: Butyrospermum parkii (G. Gift) Kotschy (Butyrospermum meaning “butter seeds”; the epithet “ parkii ” honouring Mungo Park, which discovered the tree by exploring Senegal).

In the account of sound Voyage in Temboctou and Jenné in the interior of Africa , Rene Caillié uses the term “C” (of Bambara if ) to name this tree.

Description

The Shea tree can reach about fifteen meters in height and the diameter of its trunk can make more than one meter. It can live from 2 to 3 centuries.

Culture

It should be waited 15 years so that a tree resulting from sowing gives its first fruits. The shea tree reaches the adulthood only around 30 years when it will be able to produce 20 kg of fruits, is 5 kg of dried almonds to obtain less than 1 kg of shea butter. The tree gives the maximum of fructification between 50 and 100 years, which is a large obstacle with its culture.

The Fruit, also called shea tree, is appeared as ovoid bunches of fruits of dark color green to brown measuring between four and eight centimetres length. It is a fleshy bay containing one, even two hard almonds (comparable with a seed of lawyer), of a color blanchâtre surrounded (S) of a thin hull and pulp (55%). Each almond conceals fat contents for approximately half of its weight.

The fruits of shea tree are collected enters mid-June and mid-September to manufacture the Beurre of shea tree .

Synonyms

  • Bassia parkii G.Don
  • Butyrospermum paradoxum (C.F.Gaertn.) Hepper
  • Butyrospermum paradoxum subsp. parkii (G.Don) Hepper
  • Butyrospermum parkii (G.Don) Kotschy

External bonds

Vitellaria

Vitellaria paradoxa

  • the Shea tree on the site of the UNCTAD
  • Information on the shea butter in Burkina Faso

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