POTENTIAL OF OBECHE (TRIPLOCHITON SCLEROXYLON K. SCHUM) AS A LEAF VEGETABLE

Its use is restricted more to the rural than urban areas. It occasionally serves as vegetable variety and as substitutes for shrub and herb leaf vegetable during drought. Chemical analysis of the young leaves shows its percentage composition to be, moisture 72.1 to 78.7, phosphorus 0.41 to 0.60 and crude protein 25.91 to 31.16. The old green leaves also contain moisture at 45.8 to 54.3 percent, protein 15.48 to 24.32 percent, phosphorus 0.17 to 0.20 percent. The nutrient contents in young leaves were significantly higher at 5 percent than those of old green leaves. Up to age of 13 years, foliage nutrient composition does not vary much with tree age.