Common Name:

General Information

Terminalia prunioides is a small, deciduous tree that can sometimes be multi-stemmed, growing 2.5 - 15 metres tall. The bole can be about 40cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of food, medicines and wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Eastern and southern Africa - Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa - Transvaal

Habitat

Sandy areas and on stony slopes of arid and semi-arid zones. It also occurs in coastal bushlands and riverine thickets and on alluvial plains and saline areas[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the drier tropics where it is found at elevations up to 1,400 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean maximum and minimum annual temperatures are within the range 20 - 35°c, though it can tolerate 15 - 40°c[]. It is only found wild in frost-free areas[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 450 - 900mm, though can tolerate from 400 - 1,000mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Succeeds in most well-drained soils of at least moderate fertility[]. The tree is sometimes found wild on saline soils[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 8, tolerating 5.5 - 8.5[].
The flowers have a strong and unpleasant smell. Each inflorescence contains bisexual and male flowers, male
flowers towards the apex, bisexual flowers towards the base[, ].

Edible Uses

An edible gum exudes from the tree[, ].

A tea is made from the fruits and leaves[]. The fruits are generally preferred, because too many leaves make the tea bitter[].

Medicinal

A decoction (part not specified) is used to relieve postnatal abdominal pains[].

The bark is chewed to treat coughs, sore throat and stomach-aches[].

The roots are chewed to treat colds[]. A root decoction is taken to treat constipation, cough and colds[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The leaves are used as a green manure[, ].

Other Uses

The rotten heartwood is sometimes pulverized and used as a fragrance for cosmetic purposes[].

The yellow wood is heavy, very hard, tough and exceptionally durable, even in salty water where it resists borers[, ]. It is used to make tool handles, fence posts, house building, dhow keels and wagon axles[, ].
The wood makes a good fuel and an excellent charcoal[, , ].

Propagation

Seed - viability can be maintained for at least 1 year in hermetic storage at 3°c[].

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