ABSTRACT
Griffonia simplicifolia is a tropical shrub belonging to the botanical family Caesalpiniaceae found in abundance in the coastal and secondary forests of West Africa. The plant grows as a woody climber and flowers from August to November, producing 5-centimetre (cm) pods. The pods explode with a loud noise when ripe, releasing flat, disc-shaped seeds that are 1-2 millimetres (mm) in size, which are harvested and dried for export.
