Shea

Vitellaria paradoxa, formerly Butyrospermum parkii and commonly called shea tree or shi tree, is a tree of the family Sapotaceae. It is the only species in the genus Vitellaria and is indigenous to Africa, in the dry savannah belt from Senegal to Sudan. It is a deciduous tree 7 to 15 metres tall, sometimes 25 metres. Shea butter is extracted from the oil-rich seed. Wikipedia says that among the Yoruba in West Africa, and in the Afro-Brazilian religions in Brazil, the fruit is believed to hold mystical powers. In Brazil it is widely used by practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions, especially in initiation rituals and in food offerings for the Orishas, particularly food dedicated to Oxalá. This entry rests on the Vitellaria article, which names the species Vitellaria paradoxa.