Pentadiplandra

Pentadiplandra
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Pentadiplandraceae
Hutch. & Dalziel
Genus: Pentadiplandra
Baill.
Species:
P. brazzeana
Binomial name
Pentadiplandra brazzeana
Synonyms
  • Cercopetalum dasyanthum Gilg
  • Cotylonychia chevalieri Stapf
  • Pentadiplandra gossweileri Exell

Pentadiplandra brazzeana, also known as oubli, is an evergreen shrub or liana that is the only species assigned to the genus Pentadiplandra, and has been placed in a family of its own called Pentadiplandraceae. It produces large red berries, sometimes mottled with grey. It is known from West-Central Tropical Africa, between northern Angola, eastern Nigeria and western Democratic Republic of Congo. The berry is sweet in taste due to the protein, brazzein, which is substantially sweeter than saccharose. Brazzein may be useful as a low-calorie sweetener, but is not yet allowed as a food additive in the United States and the European Union.