FACT SHEET FOR AKEE
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Blighia sapida
FAMILY: Sapindaceae
This tree is a native to tropical West Africa and has the botanical name Blighia sapida, named after Captain Bligh who introduced the Akee together with the breadfruit to the West Indies in 1793. Popenoe however reported that the Akee was introduced to the West Indies in 1778. There, and in its native land, the Akee has become common as a dooryard crop. The breadfruit has not found such ready acceptance amongst the people of the Caribbean.
The tree will reach a height of about 10m and has a dense, roundish crown. Leaves grow as opposing pairs. The flowers are small and white and form racemes. The fruit is elongated, 75mm long and ribbed. As the fruit ripens, its colour darkens to a dark orange or red. Internally the fruit has three sections, each of which has a seed and attached to it is the edible arillus. The flesh is pale yellow in colour and tastes slightly acetic. The quality of the arillus has been compared to a peach, although there is less flesh and the taste is quite different.
The flesh can be eaten after boiling in salt water or sugar-cinnamon (a remedy for diarrhoea). It can also be eaten fresh or will make a tasty morsel if fried in oil or butter. Pre-boiled, mashed and then fried, the akee appears and tastes much like scrambled eggs. Akee is often eaten with fish. A distillate from the flowers has been used as a perfume.
The fruit should only be eaten when fully ripe. It then has a bright orange colour and will split open easily. Unripe fruit contains the amino acid Hypoglycin A. This chemical will lower blood sugars and is therefore poisonous. It has been said that overripe Akees are poisonous. This is true in the sense that any rotten fruit is not wholesome food.
No selected varieties exist in Australia and very little research has been conducted into this tree. A search of Abstracts of Tropical Agriculture yielded only two references in a five year period. One of these related to the superior pollination of the Akee and several other trees, achieved by the honeybee versus a native wasp. The other abstract concerned fairly extensive planting trials undertaken in Puerto Rico. This paper came to the (to me surprising) conclusion that the Akee had definite commercial potential in that country.
The Akee grows well in Townsville. Although the tree is regarded as tropical in its requirements, it has been grown without difficulty in Florida, which indicates that it is relatively hardy.
#Editor's note: Akee IS poisonous unless special precautions are taken. Fruit must be mature, fresh, and harvested when the fruit opens naturally. Immature arils, overripe arils, the outer rind of the fruit, the pink membrane under the seeds and the seeds contain hypoglycins, which are toxic and can be fatal. Discard any damaged fruits. Do not use fruit found on the ground.
DATE: September 1983
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