Sclerocarya birrea
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643ffc910082e563218148 |
| Scientific name | Sclerocarya birrea |
| Authority | Hochst. |
| First published in | Flora 27(Bes. Beil.): 1 (1844) |
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Marula kernel oil, a fixed oil obtained by pressing or solvent extraction from kernels separated from the fruit stones. Marula fruit pulp is processed into juice, concentrates, jams, and puree; it is also fermented into a traditional beer and distilled into marula brandy. The pulp is also used as a flavoring component in liqueurs such as Amarula.
Industrial and craft applications:
Kernel oil is used in cosmetics and toiletries as a base oil and emollient, and in soap manufacturing due to its lather and stability. Oil-bearing press cake is evaluated as an animal feed or feed additive. The heartwood yields timber used in furniture, tool handles, musical instruments, carving, and fuelwood. The bark yields tannins employed in leather tanning.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Fruit pulp products include beverages (juice, concentrate, beer, brandy) and preserves (jams, jellies, puree), utilizing pulp’s high sugar content and acidity for fermentation and stabilization. Kernel oil is used as an edible oil in frying, baking, and as a flavoring fat; its oxidative stability and low smoke point have been reported. Pulp-derived ethanol functions as a fermentation feedstock and as a basis for potable spirits.
Colorants and tanning:
Marrula bark extracts are used to produce brown-to-red natural dyes for protein fibers (wool, silk) and leather, leveraging hydrolyzable tannins. Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of bark and leaves are used as natural brown dyes in textile dyeing and dyeing of traditional materials. Bark tannins are used for vegetable tanning of leather.
Wood and fiber:
Heartwood is durable and readily carved; sapwood is used for general carpentry. Wood density values of approximately 0.58–0.65 g/cm^3 at 12% moisture content are reported. Small-diameter stems provide poles and fuelwood; fibers are used for rope and twine.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
Kernel oil is included in cosmetic formulations such as skin creams, body lotions, hair-care oils, and soap, acting as an emollient and spreading agent.
Properties relevant to use:
Marula kernel oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic acid (major component), with appreciable saturated fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides; peroxide values around 2–6 meq O2/kg, anisidine values
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Poupartia birrea | (Hochst.) Aubrév. | Fl. Forest. Soudano-Guin. : 405 (1950) |
| Spondias birrea | A.Rich. | Fl. Seneg. Tent. 1: 152 (1831) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | marula |
| Spanish | marula |
| Afrikaans | maroela |
| Arabic | قاسية النبات البيرية |
| Danish | maruela |
| German | marula-baum |
| German | marula |
| German | elefantenbaum |
| German | elefantenfrucht |
| Esperanto | marula arbo |
| Estonian | maruula |
| Estonian | maruula-elevandiõunapuu |
| Persian | مارولا |
| Fulah | eedi |
| Finnish | marulapuu |
| Finnish | marula |
| French | marula |
| Hausa | danya |
| Hebrew | מרולה |
| Indonesian | marula |
| Italian | marula |
| Japanese | マルーラ |
| Korean | 마룰라나무 |
| koi | Марула |
| kv | Марула |
| lbe | Марула |
| mrj | Марула |
| Dutch | marula |
| ny | mfula |
| Polish | marula |
| Polish | poupartia caffra |
| Polish | spondias birrea |
| Portuguese | marula |
| Romanian | marula |
| Russian | Марула |
| Russian | Склерокария |
| Russian | Мерула |
| Slovenian | marula |
| Shona | mupfura |
| Swedish | marula |
| Swedish | marulaträd |
| Swahili | mng'ong'o |
| Thai | มารูลา |
| Turkish | marula |
| ts | nkanyi |
| udm | Марула |
| Ukrainian | Склерокарія |
| Ukrainian | Марула |
| wo | béer |
| Chinese | 馬魯拉果 |
| Chinese | 马鲁拉树 |
| Chinese | 马乳拉 |
| Chinese | 象李 |
| Chinese | 伯尔硬胡桃 |
Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra | (Sond.) Kokwaro | Kew Bull. 34: 756 (1980) |
| Sclerocarya birrea subsp. multifoliolata | (Engl.) Kokwaro | Kew Bull. 34: 756 (1980) |
| Sclerocarya birrea subsp. birrea |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
East Tropical Africa
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Uganda
-
Northeast Tropical Africa
- Chad
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Sudan
-
South Tropical Africa
- Angola
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
-
Southern Africa
- Botswana
- Caprivi Strip
- Kwazulu-Natal
- Namibia
- Northern Provinces
- Swaziland
-
West Tropical Africa
- Benin
- Burkina
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Ivory Coast
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Togo
-
West-central Tropical Africa
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Zaïre
-
Western Indian Ocean
- Comoros
- Madagascar
-
East Tropical Africa
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000434908 |
| UNII | G395E8081S |
| USDA Plants | SCBI3 |
| Tropicos | 1300356 |
| INPN | 807527 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:71162-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2479830 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 456294 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 289766 |
| IPNI | 71162-1 |
| iNaturalist | 340245 |
| GBIF | 7160810 |
| Freebase | /m/02546_ |
| EPPO | SLCBB |
| EOL | 483490 |
| USDA GRIN | 33385 |
| Wikipedia | Sclerocarya_birrea |
| PFAF | Sclerocarya birrea |
| IUCN Red List | 208166817 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives / Gallic acid and derivatives / Gallic acids | |||||
| Gallic Acid | 370 | Click to see | 170.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavans / Catechins / Catechin gallates | |||||
| (-)-Epicatechin gallate | 107905 | Click to see C1C(C(OC2=CC(=CC(=C21)O)O)C3=CC(=C(C=C3)O)O)OC(=O)C4=CC(=C(C(=C4)O)O)O | 442.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| 2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-Dihydroxychroman-3-Yl 3,4,5-Trihydroxybenzoate | 367141 | Click to see | 442.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Epicatechin-3-Gallate | 65056 | Click to see | 442.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2006-961423 |
| Epigallocatechin Gallate | 65064 | Click to see | 458.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Tea, ext. | 1287 | Click to see | 458.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-3-O-glycosides | |||||
| [(2S,3R,4R,5S)-5-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-4-oxochromen-3-yl]oxy-3,4-dihydroxyoxolan-2-yl]methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate | 11410680 | Click to see | 586.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| [5-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-4-oxochromen-3-yl]oxy-3,4-dihydroxyoxolan-2-yl]methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate | 72769157 | Click to see | 586.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| [6-[5,7-Dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-oxochromen-3-yl]oxy-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxan-2-yl]methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate | 14055725 | Click to see | 600.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| 2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-Dihydroxy-3-(3,4,5-Trihydroxy-6-(Hydroxymethyl)Oxan-2-Yl)Oxychromen-4-One | 5378597 | Click to see | 464.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| 2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-4-oxo-4H-1-benzopyran-3-yl 6-deoxyhexopyranoside | 5353915 | Click to see | 448.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| 5,7-Dihydroxy-3-(3,4,5-Trihydroxy-6-Methyloxan-2-Yl)Oxy-2-(3,4,5-Trihydroxyphenyl)Chromen-4-One | 5352000 | Click to see | 464.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Afzelin | 5316673 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Astragalin 6''-gallate | 5491813 | Click to see | 600.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Isoquercetin | 5280804 | Click to see | 464.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Myricitrin | 5281673 | Click to see | 464.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Npc318533 | 5835713 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Quercetin 3-(6''-galloylgalactoside) | 5491814 | Click to see | 616.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Quercetin 3-(6''-galloylglucoside) | 9830456 | Click to see | 616.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Quercitrin | 5280459 | Click to see | 448.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
| Tellimoside | 14055723 | Click to see | 616.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/JF030374M |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |