Gambeya albida

{{Short description|Species of tree}}

{{Speciesbox

| image =

| image_alt =

| image_caption =

| status = NT

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = Hills, R. 2019. Gambeya albida. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T61961750A61961761. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T61961750A61961761.en. Accessed on 4 December 2022.

| genus = Gambeya

| species = albida

| authority = (G.Don) Aubrév. & Pellegr. (1961)

| synonyms =

• Achras sericea Schumach. & Thonn. (1827), nom. illeg.
• Chrysophyllum albidum G.Don (1837)
• Chrysophyllum henriquesii Engl. (1904)
• Chrysophyllum kayei S.Moore (1909)
• Chrysophyllum millenianum Engl. (1904)
• Planchonella albida (G.Don) Baehni (1965)

| synonyms_ref = [https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:786840-1 Gambeya albida (G.Don) Aubrév. & Pellegr.] Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 4 December 2022

}}

Gambeya albida, commonly known as white star apple, is a forest fruit tree commonly found throughout tropical Africa.{{cite book|title=Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits|year=2008|publisher=The National Academies Press|location=Washington, DC|isbn=978-0-309-10596-5|pages=321|doi=10.17226/11879 |url=http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11879&page=320}} It is closely related to the African star apple (Gambeya africana) which is also common throughout West Africa. Some schools of thought feel that they may just be a variety of the same species. Also in the family is the purple star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito).

File:African Star Apple Fruit in Ghana.jpg

Amongst the Yoruba of Nigeria, it is called Agbalumo while it is called udala (udara) in the Igbo, Udari among the Efiks of Southern Nigeria with the usage of the latter term, coincidentally, also permeating across much of south-western Nigeria (i.e.,further east of Akoko-Ondo) the northern (Hausa-Fulani) parts of the country. The Hausa people refer to it as Agwaluma, a term they adopted from the Yoruba language, rather than "Agbalumo". This is because there is no African star apple native to Hausa Land.{{cite news |url= https://hausa.legit.ng/1150047-jerin-muhimman-kalmomin-hausa-20-da-maanar-su-a-harshen-turanci.html|access-date= 18 January 2024|title= Jerin muhimman kalmomin hausa 20 da ma'anar su a harshen turanci|date= 4 February 2018|language= ha|last= Ibrahim|first= Aminu|website= legit.hausa.ng}} One local enduring sobriquet is derived from the Yoruba agbalumo, i.e., 'agbaluma', and is used in certain parts of Nigeria.{{citation needed|reason=Are we sure this isn't a sentence about G.africana?|date=December 2022}}

The inherent sweetness of a child (or person of especially-seasoned cognisance/age who otherwise displays certain amiability-desirable characteristics representative of children and/or well-adjusted adults, e.g., well-roundedness, joviality, unassuming understanding) has been likened to the fruit in Igbo, as 'udala nwannu'.{{citation needed|reason=Are we sure this isn't a sentence about G.africana?|date=December 2022}}