Common Name: Assegai

General Information

Assegai is an evergreen tree, usually growing 2 - 12 metres tall, but with some specimens reaching a height of 20 metres[]. When growing in the forest it usually forms a tall tree with a clean, unbuttressed, cylindrical bole that can be up to 180cm in diameter[, , ].
Large specimens are commonly exploited for their timber[, ]. A handsome tree, with beautiful foliage that looks good throughout the year, it has great potential as a garden tree[].
The tree has been heavily exploited since the earliest colonial days, particularly for wagon-making, so much so that thousands must have been felled and a well-grown mature tree is still uncommon in the forests[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southern Africa - eastern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, Swaziland, S. Africa.

Habitat

Montane forests and stream gullies[]. Usually found in climax forest from sea level to 1,800 metres, though it also grows on grassy mountain slopes and in coastal scrub forest where it is a small bushy tree[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Self, Wind
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Assegai succeeds in tropical and subtropical regions, though is far less common in the tropics. It prefers areas with a distinct dry season and does not do so well in drier or wetter zones[].
Prefers a deep, humus-rich, fertile soil and a position in full sun[]. Young plants are capable of living in the dense shade of a natural forest, but they grow faster under higher light intensities[]. Established plants are capable of withstanding moderate drought[].
A fairly fast-growing tree[]. Trees grow comparatively slowly under natural conditions, but may be fast-growing in cultivation[].
Cut stumps coppice freely and the roots give off suckers[].
A deep-rooted species, it does not form a heavy crown and has remarkably tough branches that are rarely broken by severe winds[].

Edible Uses

The fruits are edible but bitter[]. The fruit is a small, rounded to oval, fleshy berry, about 10 mm in diameter[]. They remain on the tree for a long time and can be very decorative[].

Medicinal

The bark is in great demand for traditional medicine in S. Africa, and is used to treat stomach ailments, diarrhoea and as a blood purifier and aphrodisiac[]. It is used only in special mixtures because it is now too scarce to be used in most mixtures[].

The bark is rich in tannins, which are probably responsible for the medicinal properties against diarrhoea[].
Lupeol, betulinic acid, ursolic acid and 2alpha-hydroxyursolic acid have been isolated from the leaves; the three latter compounds showed pronounced antifungal activity, especially against Candida albicans[].
Leaf extracts have shown considerable antibacterial activity against a wide panel of bacteria[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plants have the potential to be used as an evergreen hedge[, ].

Other Uses

The bark, twigs and leaves contain tannins[]. The bark contains up to 21% tannin (probably by dry weight[])[].

The heartwood is greyish brown to purplish red; it is not distinctly demarcated from the slightly paler, fairly wide band of sapwood. The grain is straight, texture fine and even. The wood is heavy, hard, strong, tough and fairly durable, even when used in contact with water and soil. It saws and works fairly well; can be planed well and produces a smooth and glossy surface; pre-boring is necessary in nailing and screwing; the wood glues and turns well. It is fairly durable, also [, , , ]. It shrinks less than most other woods[]. It somewhat resembles mahogany and is used for furniture, tool handles, rafters, flooring, spokes and felloes[, ].

Propagation

Seed - remove the fleshing covering of the berry and sow the nut when fresh, covered lightly and keep warm and moist[]. Germination takes 3 to 4 weeks[295. Seedlings are vigorous but highly susceptible to injury from drought, high surface soil temperature, frost and damping off fungi. They are thus best kept moist, but not wet, in light shade and protected from frost and full sun[].
About 50% of the viable seeds that drop from the tree actually produce seedlings. In nature, the seeds normally germinate 6 to 12 months but never more than 15 to 18 months after the fruits drop, the delay probably being due to the time taken for the corky pericarp and the hard nut that encloses them to decay[].

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