Common Name:

General Information

Blighia unijugata is a tree with a dense crown; usually growing up to 30 metres tall, occasionally to 35 metres. The bole is often quite short, usually straight, up to 180cm in diameter, slightly fluted at the base[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood. It is sometimes grown to provide shade for coffee and is commonly planted as a village shade tree[].

Known Hazards

Macerated twigs, leaves, flowers and fruits are used as fish poison[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Guinea Bissau to Ethiopia, south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and northern S. Africa.

Habitat

Found mostly in moist evergreen forest, but also in semi-deciduous forest, in more dry areas in riverine forest, and in wooded grassland and then often associated with termite mounds, at elevations up to 1,900 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Flies
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Generally considered to be a fast-growing tree[].
The tree responds well to coppicing and pollarding[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[].

The seeds are reported to be edible[].

Medicinal

Various parts of the tree are considered to have sedative and analgesic properties. They are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of rheumatism, kidney pain and stiffness, and they are reputed to have oxytocic action in childbirth[].

Bark pulp is applied as an enema or a bark decoction is taken to treat fever, and as purgative[].

A leaf decoction is used to treat vertigo[].
Leaf pulp is administered as an embrocation to serve as rejuvenator and relaxant[]. The leaves are used in vapour baths for the treatment of fever in children, and as tonic[].

Fruits have been used for the treatment of nausea and vomiting[].

The seed oil is used in medicinal ointments[].

Ethanol extracts of the roots, bark and leaves have shown antibacterial activity, with pronounced activity against Staphylococcus aureus. In all the extracts the presence of steroids, saponins and tannins has been demonstrated[].

Agroforestry Uses:

In Kenya and Ethiopia, the trees are often left after land clearance, or sometimes planted, to provide shade in coffee plantations[].

Other Uses

The pleasantly scented flowers are sometimes soaked in water to make a fragrant cosmetic lotion[].

The heartwood is pale reddish brown; it is indistinctly demarcated from the yellowish white sapwood. The grain is fairly straight; texture medium to fine. The wood is medium-weight, very hard, tough, the heartwood is moderately durable, but the sapwood is susceptible to Lyctus attack[, ]. The wood works well with machine tools, but blunting of tools is rather rapid. It is difficult to work by hand, but takes a good finish and polishes well. Splitting is common during nailing and pre-boring is recommended. It is also recommended to give good support at the exit face on mortising and boring. The wood is somewhat difficult to glue. The wood is commonly used for light construction, light flooring, interior trim, joinery, furniture, mine props, toys, novelties, agricultural implements, musical instruments, boxes, crates, turnery and carving. It is suitable for ship building, veneer, plywood and pulpwood[].
The wood is used for fuel and for charcoal production[].

Propagation

Seed - germinates readily. It is recommended to sow in individual pots before transplanting. Pre-treatment of seeds before sowing is not necessary[].
Dried seeds can be stored for considerable time in sealed containers in a cool and dry place[].
Thin stem cuttings may root in sand and can also be used for propagation[].

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