Common Name:

General Information

Boscia salicifolia is a deciduous tree with a rounded but flattened crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall, but is often much less[].
The tree has a range of local edible and medicinal uses, as well as being a minor source of fuel. In cultivated areas the tree is conserved for use as an emergency food when the forest is cleared for cultivation[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - drier areas from Senegal to Eritrea and Ethiopia, south through eastern Africa to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Habitat

Drier types of woodland, or on termite-mounds in Brachystegia woodland; deciduous woodland and bushland; bamboo thicket; grassland with scattered trees; at elevations from 300 - 1,800 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Cultivation Status	Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the drier tropics, it can succeed in areas where the mean annual rainfall is within the range 200 - 400mm[].
Established plants are drought resistant[].
A fairly fast-growing tree[].

Edible Uses

The leaf is sometimes eaten as a vegetable, and is also an ingredient of soups[].

The bark is pounded and put into soup[].

The root is said to be soft and starchy and is roasted and eaten in some areas[], though it is regarded as toxic in some other regions and in others it is only eaten as a famine-food[].

The seeds are eaten after cooking, not raw[].

Medicinal

The leaves are burnt to ash with the leaves of Mdala (botanical name not given) and Mnyukampara (Maerua triphylla); these are then put in a juice from the pounded roots of Mdala, then warmed and drunk as an antidote in cases of poisoning, or as a treatment against tuberculosis[]. Young leaves are used to treat both tooth and stomach-ache[].
The leaf is a remedy for a malady called 'chiufa', the symptoms of which include an inflamed and gaping anus - the powdered leaf is blown into the anus of the inverted patient. The treatment is said to be successful[, ].
The leaf-sap is dripped into a fresh wound as a healing dressing, whilst the pounded leaves are applied as a poultice to maturate even abscesses, and also to treat scrofula and furuncles[, ].

The pounded bark is made into an infusion used to irrigate the eyes as a treatment for conjunctivitis; a steam-bath of the same can also be used[, ].

A decoction of the root and stem bark is drunk as an aphrodisiac. A decoction is drunk to treat severe abscess, scrofula and furuncle[, ].

The root is added to a special brew of beer with other drug-plants which is taken for rheumatism[].

Other Uses

The wood is used as poles in traditional buildings[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a short viability and needs to be sown as soon as possible. Does not require pre-treatment, germinating quickly and well[].

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