Publication
from the Manual Of Tropical And Subtropical Fruits
by Wilson Popenoe
The Akee
Blighia
sapida, Koen.
Like the oil palm (Eloeis guineensis),
now common on the coast of Brazil, the akee is an African plant which
was brought to America in the days of the slave trade. According to
William Harris, it reached Jamaica in 1778. It is now common in that
island, and is cultivated on a limited scale in other parts of the West
Indies, as well as on the mainland of tropical America. In the Orient
it is rare. Its native home is in tropical West Africa.
On deep
rich soils the tree becomes 35 or 40 feet in height. It is erect in
habit, with an open crown and stiff branches. The leaves are abruptly
pinnate, with three to five pairs of short-stalked, obovate-oblong
leaflets, the upper ones 4 to 6 inches in length, the lowest pair much
shorter. The small flowers are borne in short axillary racemes. The
sepals and petals are five in number, the latter greenish white in
color. The fruit is a curious-looking capsule, about 3 inches long,
triangular in general outline, and straw-colored to magenta-red. When
ripe it opens along three sutures, exposing three round shining seeds,
with a whitish fleshy body at the base of each. The fleshy substance
(technically the arillus), resembles in appearance the brain of a small
animal. It is firm and oily in texture, and has a somewhat nutty
flavor. When fried in butter it is a delicious morsel, and it is
excellent boiled with salt fish. It has long been believed that the
akee, unless cooked, is poisonous. J. J. Bowrey, 1
analytical chemist to the Government of Jamaica, found that:
"Unripe
akees if eaten freely bring on vomiting. Decaying akees are decidedly
unwholesome, and may even be very poisonous. This is true of many
foods. Fresh ripe akees are good and harmless food, rather rich it is
true, but to most persons quite wholesome. There may be individual
idiosyncrasies with regard to akee, as there are to such usually
harmless foods as mutton, duck, pork, mushrooms, etc. The red membrane
of the akee, so commonly believed to be poisonous, is perfectly
harmless. If the fruit be ripe and fresh, which can be known by its
being open, the edible portion firm, and the red part bright in color,
it may be considered a good and safe food. But if the fruit be not
ripe, or if there are any signs of decay, such as mouldiness or
softening of the edible portion, or a dingy color in the ordinary red
part, the fruit should not be eaten."
The name akee came to America from Africa along with the fruit itself,
and is generally used (sometimes as akee-apple) in the British colonies
where the tree is grown. In Spanish-speaking countries the usual name
is seso vegetal, or vegetable brains. Cupania sapida,
Voigt., is a botanical synonym of Blighia
sapida, Koen.
In tropical America the akee is grown most commonly in the hot moist
lowlands. Since it has succeeded in southern Florida, however, the
species cannot be considered strictly tropical in its requirements.
When young it is susceptible to frost, but plants which have attained
four or five years' growth have passed through temperatures of 26°
above zero with very little injury. Several have been grown at Miami
and Palm Beach, and the fruit which they have produced has been equal
in every respect to that grown in the tropics. No large plants are
known in California and it is doubtful whether the species will succeed
anywhere in that state. It thrives on deep loamy soils with abundant
moisture, but makes satisfactory (though slow) growth on the shallow
sandy soils of southeastern Florida. It has come into bearing at Miami
when about five years old.
Propagation is usually by seed, but vegetative means should prove
successful. No horticultural varieties have been established.
1 Kew Bull. 1892, p. 109.
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