Common Name:

General Information

Strychnos madagascariensis is an often many-stemmed and much-branched deciduous shrub or small tree with a spreading, irregular, angular canopy; it can usually grow from 1·5 - 10 metres tall, occasionally to 20 metres[, ]. The bole, which can be 7 - 60cm in diameter, is usually branched from low down[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. The fruit is sold in local markets[].

Known Hazards

Various parts of Strychnos plants, especially the seeds and bark, contain toxic alkaloids such as strychnine and brucine. The fleshy pulp of the ripe fruits, however, is often edible[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Eastern and southern Africa - Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, S. Africa, Madagascar.

Habitat

Gallery and coastal forests[]. Deciduous bushland and woodland at elevations from sea level to around 1, 500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	8.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics to the subtropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,500 metres. The plant cannot tolerate frost[].
Plants grow wild in sandy or well-drained rocky soils[].
Trees grow fairly fast from seed[].
Plants can flower and fruit all year round[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[, , ]. The orange pulp is somewhat slimy[]. A refreshing, acidulous flavour[]. They can be made into drinks[]. The dried fruits have an apricot-like flavour, they are mixed with honey to make a popular food[]. The dried fruits can also be ground into a fine powder and used for making porridge[]. The globose, orange or yellow fruit becomes bluish-green when nearly mature. It varies in size from 2 - 10cm in diameter, containing about 5 - 50 seeds. Large fruits tend to be hard, whilst smaller ones are softer[].

The seeds, although bitter, are dried and are considered a sweet treat for children[]. This report needs to be treated with some care - the seeds of most species in this genus are toxic[].

Medicinal

The leaves are used in the treatment of scabies[].

The fruits are considered to be tonic[].
A paste is made from the fruit for treating jigger fleas[].

The powdered bark is considered to be tonic[].

The roots are ground up, mixed with hot water and taken orally as an emetic[].

Other Uses

The wood is used for construction of local houses, tool handles, woven doors, storage containers and spoons[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -an easy method of propagating the plant[].

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: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?