Gambeya albida, commonly known as white star apple, is a forest fruit tree commonly found throughout tropical Africa. 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).
Amongst the Igbo of Nigeria, it is called udara while it is called agbalumọ (agbalumo) by Yoruba people. The Efiks of Southern Nigeria call it udari with the usage of the latter term, coincidentally, also permeating across much of south-western Nigeria (i.e., further east of Akoko-Ondo) and the northern (Hausa-Fulani) parts of the country. The Hausa people refer to it as agwaluma, a term they adopted from the Yoruba language counterpart.
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'.
References
National Research Council. 2008. Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11879
External links Interagency Taxonomic Information System