| DESCRIPTION: It is a very attractive dense evergreen shrub or a small tree that grows up to 4,5 m high. The leaves are light green when young and very dark and shiny when mature. They are simple and alternate or sometimes nearly opposite; 2,5 - 8 cm long. The fruits are about the size of a pea, round and clearly divided into three compartments. They are fleshy and green, turning red and then purple as they ripen. USE: The fruits are edible. A decoction of the root is taken as a blood purifier, to treat pneumonia, gonorrhoea rheumatism and stomach-ache and as a gargle. The leaves are applied as a liniment to simple sprains. Leaf decoction may be mixed with the bark of Erythrina abyssinica to alleviate colic. The tree is used for erosion control, shade, shelter, low wind break, as a living fence and as an ornamental. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: Dogwood. FURTHER INF: It is widespread and locally common at medium to high altitudes, along water courses, in riverine forest and at the margins of evergreen forests. It grows in mountain forests, especially in clearings and along edges and also in secondary, mountain evergreen forests and mountain slopes, frequently among rocks. It stretches from South Africa northwards through tropical Africa to Ethiopia. The tree casts so deep a shade that it often prevents other growth around it. It can withstand a fair amount of frost and grows well in light shade under trees and equally well in full sun. It grows readily in most soils, but thrives in moist, humus-rich soils. |
