Common Name:

General Information

Boscia angustifolia is a shrub or small evergreen tree with a narrow crown of strongly ascending branches; it can grow up to 10 metres tall[, ].
The plant is often harvested from the wild for its range of uses for food, medicines, fuel, timber etc.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - semi-arid tropical areas.

Habitat

A plant of semi-arid areas, it is found in all savannah types and in deciduous woodland and bush land[]. Usually grows in very arid sites such as hills, laterite outcrops and cliffs, and sometimes dry riverbeds[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	7.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the drier tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, it succeeds at elevations up to 2,100 metres[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 200 - 800mm[].
Tolerates a wide variety of soils, growing on free draining red soils, laterites, or on rocky screes[].
In Zambia it is a good source of bee forage[].

Edible Uses

The fruit is edible after cooking[]. A bitter flavour[, ].

The seeds are edible after cooking[, ]. A bitter flavour[].

The stripped bark is made into a powder and then eaten mixed with millet or as an ingredient in soup in West Africa[, , ].

Pieces of boiled wood are used as a sweetener[].

Medicinal

The bark is applied on swollen feet, used in the treatment of kidney pains and stiff neck[].

The roots are used in the treatment of chest pains[].

The fruit is a laxative[].

The pounded leaves are used as tonic for horses and camels[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Readily establishing itself in adverse conditions, this species has potential for reclaiming degraded sites[].

Other Uses

The wood is hard. It is used in carpentry and for making water storage vessels[, ].
The wood was formerly converted into charcoal for making gunpowder[, ].

Propagation

Seed. This species is difficult to raise, but direct seeding is recommended for its propagation[].

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