Common Name: Coast Goldleaf

General Information

Coast goldleaf is a fast-growing, semi-deciduous to deciduous tree reaching a height of up to 20 metres with a dense rounded crown and tall, bare stem[].
A multipurpose tree, it is commonly harvested for its fruit, medicinal applications, timber, fuel and many other applications. The plant can be effectively used as a background plant in the garden, adding a splash of colour with its yellow, orange and purple leaves[]. It makes an excellent shade tree, not only in the garden but also on the farm, forming a neatly shaped crown in only 3 years[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal eastwards to central Ethiopia and south to Angola and South Africa.

Habitat

Riverine and gully forests; evergreen rain and mist forest patches; miombo and high rainfall woodlands; seasonally flooded grassland; dambos; riverine vegetation; swamp forest; sometimes on granite outcrops and on termitaria, 300 - 1,750 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeding in a wide variety of climates from the tropics to the subtropics, it can be found at elevations ranging from 300 - 2,200 metres[]. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is in the range 18 - 28°c and the mean annual rainfall is between 800 - 2,500mm[]. It is naturally distributed from the Sudan in the north to the eastern Cape in South Africa. It can withstand light frost[].
Grows on a variety of soils, from sandy to regular clay loams[]. Plants are not drought resistant[].
Coast goldleaf grows fast on good sites; it is one of the fastest growing indigenous trees of South Africa, with a growth rate of up to 2 metres per year[].
Pollarding and coppicing are practised. Coppice shoots are produced after the trees are felled. Root suckers are produced if the roots are wounded, for example by trampling animals or during cultivation[].
Ripe fruits are very popular with many of the fruit-eating birds, making this plant a must for the bird garden[].
Coast goldleaf has an aggressive root system and cannot be planted close to buildings or paved areas[].

Edible Uses

The fruits are sweet and edible when ripe and taste slightly like currants[]. The ellipsoid fruit turns black when fully ripe, it is up to 8mm × 5mm when dried, slightly larger when fresh[].

Medicinal

A bark decoction is taken as a remedy for stomach-ache and tapeworm[]. The bark is also boiled to make a soup for treating diarrhoea in children, or is mixed with milk and drunk as a tonic[]. Bark extract is applied to scabies[]. The powdered bark is applied to burns to speed healing[].

A decoction of roots is drunk to cure aching joints[]. The root is used as a remedy for severe epigastric pain and is applied to the scalp to relieve headache[]. A decoction of the root is drunk as a purgative, an anthelmintic or an antidote for poison, as it causes vomiting or diarrhoea that gets rid of the poison[]. An infusion made from the root is taken orally for coughs[].

The leaf sap is used as an application to sore eyes and, in a decoction with a number of other plants, for the treatment of conjunctivitis[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants have an extensive root system that binds the soil effectively[]. They can be used along eroded drainage lines and streams where the natural vegetation has been removed[]. The trees form a canopy under which various other plants can germinate and grow, they can be used to establish new riverine vegetation[]. The trees can be planted in areas that flood during rainy seasons[].
It is grown in banana and coffee plantations for the shade it provides[].
The leaves are used for mulching[].

Other Uses

The bark is a source of tannins plus red and black dyes[].
A red dye is extracted by boiling the bark[].
A black dye is obtained from the leaves, twigs and wood[].
The fruit also contains a dye[].

The pounded bark is used to fill cracks in doors and baskets[].
The resin is used for sealing cracks in doors, baskets, pottery and winnowing trays[].

The sapwood is yellowish and the heartwood reddish-brown to dark brown and is hard and moderately heavy (air-dry 670 kg/m³)[]. The wood is durable, fairly hard and termite resistant[]. Poles from it are used for building huts and granaries, and are sometimes cut for beams or fence posts. The wood can be used for parquet floors, furniture, panelling, tool handles, boats, bows, carpentry, and most general joinery work[, ]. The oiled wood resembles black stinkwood[].
The wood makes excellent firewood and charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - pre-treatment is not necessary, but only fresh seed should be used. The fruit pulp contains a growth inhibitor that must be removed - a suitable pre-treatment technique is to soak the seeds in cold water for 24 hours after removing the pulp[]. The seed can be sown in situ or in a nursery. Sow the seed in a mixture of river sand and compost (2:1) and keep it moist[]. Germination is good and uniform, up to 90-100% after 20-25 days[]. Seedlings and young plants transplant easily; they can be transplanted into nursery bags when they reach the 2-leaf stage[].
The oily seed has short viability and does not store[].
Root suckers.

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