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Brachystegia spiciformis

AuthorityBenth.
FamilyMagnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae
SynonymsBrachystegia oliveri Taub., Brachystegia randii Bak. f.
Common namesbean-pod tree, igonda, mrihi, mriti, msasa, musasa, myombo
Editor
Ecocrop code3837



Notes
DESCRIPTION: It is a tree 8-25 m (max. 28) high with a flat crown. It is evergreen in good years and on the more favourable sites, and deciduous in dry conditions. Branches are heavy, thrusting upwards and outwards, often twisting and curving, giving the tree beautiful shape and balance. Leaves are pendulous, dark green, oblong-elliptic, 2.5-8 x 1-4.5 cm, with 2-7 but usually 4 pairs of opposite or nearly opposite leaflets. Flowers are small and greenish. USE: Leaves are browsed by livestock and the flowers are a source of honey. The wood is used as firewood and charcoal. The bark is astringent, containing 13% tannin. An infusion of the root provides treatment for dysentery and diarrhoea. A decoction is applied as an eyewash for conjunctivitis. The trees are famous for the attractive pink, wine red, copper and bronze colours of their spring foliage and are a suitable species for amenity areas and with its flat crown it provides good shade. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: Bean-pod tree. FURTHER INF: It occurs in deciduous woodlands on ridges and escarpments. The trees associate with most woodland species and occupy gaps in coastal forests and thickets. They are dominant or codominant with Julbernardia globiflora in woodland, most frequent at medium to high altitudes. In Kenya, the species occurs naturally in Kwale and Kilifi Districts on sandy soils 20-40 km inland and south of the Tana River. This is the most widespread species of Brachystegia in Zimbabwe and Mozambique and is dominant and ecologically important over large areas of its range, occurring in open, deciduous woodland. Trees are susceptible to frost. It tolerates a wide range of soils, develops best on moist, deep, red soils and usually avoids poorly drained and shallow soils.
Sources
Grassland Index
ICRAF Agroforestree Database (22.07.02) E3837