This is a very complex species, of which at least 10 subspecies are recognised - hence the large number of synonyms.

Common Name:

General Information

Combretum collinum hypopilinum is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing from 4 - 18 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use of its gum, medicinal uses and timber.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Somalia, south to Namibia and S. Africa.

Habitat

Savannah[]. Open woodlands; forest margins; deciduous thickets; and Kalahari and Lake Basin chipya woodland; occasional on anthills, in miombo woodlands; and in dry, evergreen forests; at low to medium elevations[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A slow-growing tree[].
The tree responds well to coppicing, lopping and pollarding[].

Edible Uses

The bark yields an edible gum[, ].

Medicinal

The bark yields a gum, loosely called taramniya in N Nigeria. It is used to cure toothache or to plug a carious tooth[, ].

The leaves are used as a purgative[].

The roots are boiled and the decoction drunk warm as a treatment for dysentery and snakebites[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The living tree is tolerant of grass fires and so is suitable for planting as a savannah firebreak[].

Other Uses

The bark yields a gum, loosely called taramniya in N Nigeria[].

The heartwood is light brown; it is not clearly demarcated from the whitish-brown sapwood. The wood has an interlocked grain and a course texture; it is fairly hard, not very durable. It is used for wagon building, canoes and tool handles[]. The branches can be cut and used to construct fences[].
The wood is used for fuel and makes a very good charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed -
The seed of most, if not all, species can be stored inside the fruit for several years without losing viability[].

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