Ximenia americanaL.

tallow wood

WFO wfo-0000428247 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Ximenia americana, photographed by Theo Summer
fig. a Theo Summer, CC0 1.0 / 2022-05-15 / obs. 197793797
Ximenia americana, photographed by Benjamin Bender
fig. b Benjamin Bender, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 192665862
Ximenia americana, photographed by Josiah Londerée
fig. c Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 190488812
Ximenia americana, photographed by Josiah Londerée
fig. d Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 190520724
Ximenia americana, photographed by Josiah Londerée
fig. e Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 190520685
Ximenia americana, photographed by Josiah Londerée
fig. f Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 187361526
Ximenia americana, photographed by Alexis López Hernández
fig. g Alexis López Hernández, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 186859550
Ximenia americana, photographed by Alexis López Hernández
fig. h Alexis López Hernández, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 185979661

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 121 botanical countries

Regions where Ximenia americana is native: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caprivi Strip, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, DR Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Hainan, Andaman Is., Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Christmas I., Cocos (Keeling) Is., India, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Philippines, Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, Queensland, Florida, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Caroline Is., Cook Is., Fiji, Line Is., Marianas, Marshall Is., New Caledonia, Niue, Samoa, Society Is., Tokelau-Manihiki, Tonga, Tuamotu, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Is., Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is. AngolaBeninBotswanaBurkinaCameroonCaprivi StripCentral African RepublicChadCongoDjiboutiDR CongoEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauGulf of Guinea Is.Ivory CoastKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLiberiaMalawiMaliMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaNorthern ProvincesSenegalSierra LeoneSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabweHainanBangladeshBismarck ArchipelagoBorneoIndiaJawaLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNew GuineaPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiSumateraThailandVietnamQueenslandFloridaMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestFijiNew CaledoniaArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorEl SalvadorFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamáParaguayPuerto RicoSurinameTrinidad-TobagoVenezuela Cape VerdeAndaman Is.Christmas I.Nicobar Is.Caroline Is.Cook Is.Line Is.MarianasMarshall Is.NiueSamoaSociety Is.Tokelau-ManihikiTongaTuamotuTuvaluVanuatuWallis-Futuna Is.BahamasCayman Is.Leeward Is.Netherlands AntillesTurks-Caicos Is.Venezuelan AntillesWindward Is.
Native distribution of Ximenia americana, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Angola ANG AFRICA
Benin BEN
Botswana BOT
Burkina BKN
Cameroon CMN
Cape Verde CVI
Caprivi Strip CPV
Central African Republic CAF
Chad CHA
Congo CON
Djibouti DJI
DR Congo ZAI
Eritrea ERI
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Gabon GAB
Gambia GAM
Ghana GHA
Guinea GUI
Guinea-Bissau GNB
Gulf of Guinea Is. GGI
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Liberia LBR
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mozambique MOZ
Namibia NAM
Niger NGR
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Senegal SEN
Sierra Leone SIE
Somalia SOM
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Bahamas BAH
Belize BLZ
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Cayman Is. CAY
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Dominican Republic DOM
Ecuador ECU
El Salvador ELS
French Guiana FRG
Guatemala GUA
Guyana GUY
Haiti HAI
Honduras HON
Jamaica JAM
Leeward Is. LEE
Netherlands Antilles NLA
Nicaragua NIC
Panamá PAN
Paraguay PAR
Puerto Rico PUE
Suriname SUR
Trinidad-Tobago TRT
Turks-Caicos Is. TCI
Venezuela VEN
Venezuelan Antilles VNA
Windward Is. WIN
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Bangladesh BAN
Bismarck Archipelago BIS
Borneo BOR
Christmas I. XMS
Cocos (Keeling) Is. CKI
India IND
Jawa JAW
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
Caroline Is. CRL PACIFIC
Cook Is. COO
Fiji FIJ
Line Is. LIN
Marianas MRN
Marshall Is. MRS
New Caledonia NWC
Niue NUE
Samoa SAM
Society Is. SCI
Tokelau-Manihiki TOK
Tonga TON
Tuamotu TUA
Tuvalu TUV
Vanuatu VAN
Wallis-Futuna Is. WAL
Florida FLA NORTHERN AMERICA
Mexico Central MXC
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS
Hainan CHH ASIA-TEMPERATE
Queensland QLD AUSTRALASIA

Not drawn on the map: Cocos (Keeling) Is.. We hold no public-domain boundary for this region, so it is listed rather than guessed at.

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 31 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Amyris arborescens P.Browne
  • Heymassoli inermis Aubl.
  • Heymassoli spinosa Aubl.
  • Ximenia aculeata Crantz
  • Ximenia americana f. inermis (Aubl.) Engl.
  • Ximenia americana var. americana
  • Ximenia americana var. argentinensis DeFilipps
  • Ximenia americana var. elliptica Valeton
  • Ximenia americana var. inermis Hochst.
  • Ximenia americana var. microphylla Welw. ex Oliv.
  • Ximenia americana var. oblonga DC.
  • Ximenia americana var. ovata DC.
  • Ximenia americana var. oxypyrena Chiov.
  • Ximenia americana var. sphaerica Chiov.
  • Ximenia arborescens Tussac ex Walp.
  • Ximenia elliptica G.Forst.
  • Ximenia exarmata F.Muell.
  • Ximenia fluminensis M.Roem.
  • Ximenia gabonensis Baill. ex Laness.
  • Ximenia inermis L.
  • Ximenia laurina Delile
  • Ximenia loranthifolia Span.
  • Ximenia montana Macfad.
  • Ximenia multiflora Jacq.

and 7 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.