Common Name:

General Information

Stereospermum kunthianum is a deciduous shrub or tree with a light, rounded crown; usually growing from 3 - 15 metres tall. It reaches its full height in the moister areas of its range, rarely exceeding 6 metres in the drier areas. The bole is rarely straight and often has forks and twisted branches, it can be 25cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood. It is often grown as an ornamental, the abundant, fragrant, pink or purplish flowers are produced in the dry season when the tree is leafless, making it a spectacular feature[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Sudan and Ethiopia, south to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, avoiding the wetter regions of the continent.

Habitat

Dry areas of deciduous forest, woodland, bush, rocky outcrops, termite mounds and margins of evergreen forests[]. Often found near streams in the Sahel[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	8.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the dry to moist tropics, where it is found at elevations from 500 - 2,400 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 34°c, but can tolerate 18 - 42°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 450 - 900mm, but tolerates 350 - 1,400mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. Prefers light silty and sandy soils, but succeeds in a range of well-drained, moderately fertile soils, tolerating dry conditions[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7[].
A fairly fast-growing tree[].
Young plants are not resistant to bush fires[].

Edible Uses

Fruit[]. The fruit is a slender, flat capsule or paired pods up to 45cm long by 1cm wide[].

Medicinal

The pods are chewed with salt as a treatment for coughs[]. They are also used in the treatment of ulcers, leprosy, skin eruptions and venereal diseases[].

A leaf infusion is used for washing wounds[]. The macerated leaves are used to treat asthenia and exhaustion[, ].

The bark is used as a haemostatic and for treating wounds[, ]. A stem-bark decoction is used to cure bronchitis, pneumonia and coughs[, ].

The roots and leaves are used in the treatment of venereal diseases, respiratory ailments and gastritis[, ].

Other Uses

The chewed bark stains the lips red-brown and is used as a cosmetic[, ].

The wood is whitish with yellow or pink coloration. It has a medium to coarse texture, is moderately hard, strong and moderately durable. It works well with hand and machine tools, saws cleanly to true edges, planes well to a fairly smooth finish, has good nail-holding capacity, takes a clear varnish finish, glues firmly and stains well. It is used for furniture, shelving, pattern making, tool and implement handles, poles, utensils, gunstocks, mortars and platters[, , ]
The wood is used for fuel, or to make a low-quality charcoal that disintegrates directly into ashes.[, ]. In some areas of Africa the wood is seen as a bad omen - the fumes are considered to be toxic by local people and the source of bad feelings in the household[]..

Propagation

Seed - difficult to germinate[]. The seed is difficult to obtain, but germinates quickly and without pretreatment[]. Plant out the seedlings after about 4 weeks[].
Root suckers[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: what is half of 100?