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Useful Tropical Plants

Balanites rotundifolia

(Tiegh.) Blatt.

Zygophyllaceae

+ Synonyms

Agialida rotundifolia Tiegh.

Balanites gillettii Cufod.

Balanites orbicularis Sprague

Balanites patriziana Lusina

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Balanites is a densely branched, spiny, evergreen shrub or tree growing up to 6 - 8 metres tall, but usually much shorter and of low bushy habit[
328
Title
African Flowering Plants Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
Publisher
Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].
A gum resin is harvested from the wild trees, and the wood is used locally.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Northeastern Africa - Kenya, north to Somalia and Eritrea, and into Arabia.

Habitat

Dry tree savannah or scrub; semi-desert scrub; deciduous bushland; open woodland; often over lava or near rivers; sometimes a dominant species on raised beaches over sandstone at elevations of 50 - 2,000 metres[
328
Title
African Flowering Plants Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
Publisher
Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height3.50 m
PollinatorsBees
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

A tree of the drier regions of the tropics.
Thrives in a variety of soils[
398
Title
Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
Publication
 
Author
Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
Publisher
Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
Year
2002
ISBN
9966-896-60-0
Description
A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].

Edible Uses

The pulp of the fruit is edible and sweet. The ripe reddish brown fruit are either picked from the tree or collected from the ground. They are eaten as a snack, especially by herdsmen[
398
Title
Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
Publication
 
Author
Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
Publisher
Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
Year
2002
ISBN
9966-896-60-0
Description
A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
]. The oval fruit is hairy and up to 2cm long[
398
Title
Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
Publication
 
Author
Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
Publisher
Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
Year
2002
ISBN
9966-896-60-0
Description
A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The tree is the source of a gum resin called Hanjigoad[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
]. The tears are globular pieces from the size of a cherry to a pigeon's egg, dark greenish yellow to deep orange red[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

The wood is used for poles, tool handles, spoons, combs and carvings[
398
Title
Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
Publication
 
Author
Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
Publisher
Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
Year
2002
ISBN
9966-896-60-0
Description
A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].
The wood is used for fuel and is made into charcoal[
398
Title
Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania
Publication
 
Author
Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B.
Publisher
Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi.
Year
2002
ISBN
9966-896-60-0
Description
A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Root suckers
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-08. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Balanites+rotundifolia>

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