ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on the uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Shea Nut. Shea nut meal used for hog-feed, having 60% carbohydrate and 12% protein. Reported from the African Center of Diversity, shea nut, or cvs thereof, is reported to tolerate drought, fire, grazing, laterite, savanna, and slope. Ranging from Subtropical Dry to Wet through Tropical Dry to Moist Forest Life Zones, shea nut is estimated to tolerate annual precipitation of 8 to 25 dm, annual temperature of 23 to 27°C, and pH of 4.9 to 6.5. Several morphological and physiological forms differ in shape and size of fruits and seeds, and in chemical analysis of kernels and fruit, thickness of pericarp, and early fruiting period. Trees grow very slowly from seed, bearing fruit in 12 to 15 years, taking up to 30 years to reach maturity.
