Irvingia

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title: "Irvingia" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["irvingiaceae", "malpighiales-genera", "edible-fruits"] description: "Genus of trees" topic_path: "general/irvingiaceae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irvingia" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of trees ::

|image = Ogbono (Irvingia gabonensis).jpg |image_caption = Ogbono nuts |taxon = Irvingia |authority = Hook.f. 1860 not F. Muell. 1865 (syn of Polyscias in Araliaceae) |type_species = Irvingia smithii |type_species_authority = Hook.f. |synonyms = Irvingella Tiegh. |synonyms_ref = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Irvingia_malayana.JPG" caption="''Irvingia malayana'' in Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak, Vietnam"] ::

Irvingia is a genus of African and Southeast Asian trees in the family Irvingiaceae, sometimes known by the common names wild mango, African mango, bush mango, dika, **mbukpap uyo ** or ogbono.

They bear edible mango-like fruits (large drupes, with fibrous flesh), and are especially valued for their fat- and protein-rich nuts.

Taxonomy

Irvingia was described as a genus in 1860. The genus is named in honour of Edward George Irving, a Royal Navy surgeon.

List of species: ::data[format=table]

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	Irvingia excelsa	C Africa
[[File:Irvingia gabonensis African Bush Mango (21033194961).jpg	120px]]	Irvingia gabonensis
	Irvingia grandifolia	C Africa
[[File:Konia tree.jpg	120px]]	Irvingia malayana
	Irvingia robur	W + C Africa
[[File:Irvingia smithii02.jpg	120px]]	Irvingia smithii
	Irvingia tenuinucleata	W + C Africa
::

Distribution

It is native to Africa and Southeast Asia.

Uses

The subtly aromatic nuts are typically dried in the sun for preservation, and are sold whole or in powder form. They may be ground to a paste known variously as dika bread or Gabon chocolate. Their high content of mucilage enables them to be used as thickening agents for dishes such as ogbono soup. The nuts may also be pressed for vegetable oil.

The trees yield a hard wood, useful in construction.

References

References

1. "Tropicos".
2. lectotype designated by Bullock, Kew Bull. 14: 43 (18 May 1960).
3. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/26845640#page/197/mode/1up Hooker, Joseph Dalton. 1860. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 23: 167] descriptions in Latin, commentary in English
4. "Tropicos".
5. D. Gledhill. ''The Names of Plants''. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
6. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::