It is a leguminous tree that grows wild on poor soils with
little rain where other plants have tough time surviving. The
tree makes its own food like any other legume or bean family
plants. Its long pods are coiled and serve as poor man’s food.
Unlike green beans, only the contents of the pod, the black
shiny seeds and its fleshy pulp covering are edible. Thick,
fleshy and sweet pulp is the tastiest part of the pod. When
ripe, the greenish pink spiral pods split open to expose whitish
pink pulp. Rich in nutrients and sweet, the pulp is easy
pickings for animals particularly monkeys thus the tree is
unfairly called the Monkeypod tree. The seeds are also edible
though the seed pulp covering is mostly eaten for its sweet
taste and mouth feel. Handful of well ripe spiral pods would
satisfy a hungry man. The thorns on the tree make it a hedge
plant to keep animals out. The tree wood is hard and pliable to
make fancy gift items. The tree that needs no cultivation
depends little on rain and soil nutrients, and produ