CHAPTER    ONE
1.1     INTRODUCTION
The African Star Apple (Chrysophyllum Africanum), locally called “Udala” by the Ibos and “Agbalumo” by the Yorubas is found mostly in African Countries.  Its distribution extend from Sierra Leone to the Congo region and Angola, found in rain forest and transitional formations, often planted for its edible fruits.  Its distribution also extends to Sierra Leone to Spain, Guinea, extending to Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Nyasaiano.  It is also found in countries like Southern Nigeria, Cameroons, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone.  Chrysophyllum Africanum is of the family “Sapotacea”.  Its habitat is usually on riverside in closed forest, and often planted in villages.  Chrysophyllum Africanum has different species, but Chrysophyllum Africamum and Chrysophyllum Albidum bear the same common name in Nigeria “UDALA”.  (Okafor 1981).
A medium sized, evergreen three usually 70ft to 100ft high; bole straight, flitted, bark gray and riddget, slash thin, cale brown, darkening to orange, Heartwood whitish when first felled, turning a pink buff to an olive yellow and finally a yellowish brown, not demarcated from the sapwood.
Texture fine to medium, grain straight to occasionally interlocked, luster rather low; wood contains a pale brown gum.  Chrysophyllum africanum bears edible fruits with large berries containing five large flattened seeds.  It is greenish in colour when unripe and pale orange when ripe.  It is pointed at both ends.  The fruits are large and more than 4cm wide, shaped like orange or apple, it is often cultivated for its edible fruits and the pulp having a pleasant acid taste (Nwadinigwe, 1982).