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Useful Tropical Plants

Ochna pulchra

Hook.f.

Ochnaceae

+ Synonyms

Ochna antunesii Engl. & Gilg

Ochna aschersoniana Schinz

Ochna brunnescens Engl. & Gilg

Ochna fuscescens Heine

Ochna hoffmannii-ottonis Engl.

Ochna huillensis (Tiegh.) Exell

Ochna quangensis Büttner

Ochna rehmannii Szyszyl.

Polythecium pulchrum (Hook.f.) Tiegh.

Polythecium rehmannii (Szyszyl.) Tiegh.

Porochna antunesii Tiegh.

Porochna aschersoniana (Schinz) Tiegh.

Porochna bifolia Tiegh.

Porochna brunnescens Tiegh.

Porochna davilliflora Tiegh.

Porochna hoffmanni-ottonis (Engl.) Tiegh.

Porochna huillensis Tiegh.

Porochna quangensis (Büttner) Tiegh.

Common Name:

Ochna pulchra
Tree growing in native habit, Magaliesberg, South Africa
Photograph by: Rotational
Public domain
Ochna pulchra Ochna pulchra Ochna pulchra Ochna pulchra Ochna pulchra Ochna pulchra

General Information

Ochna pulchra is a shrub or tree with widely spreading branches; it usually grows up to 8 metres tall but with specimens recorded up to 10.5 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.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild as a local source of food, oil and wood. A beautiful tree, though difficult to cultivate, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental in gardens[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
]. The stem of this beautiful tree is one of its most conspicuous features, with its greyish bark peeling off to reveal a smooth, yellowish or cream to milky white undersurface[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.

Range

Africa - Congo, DR Congo, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, northern S. Africa.

Habitat

Open deciduous woodland or scrub; frequently on sand or rocky terrain; at elevations from 900 - 2,120 metres[
308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
,
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 *  *
HabitTree
Height6.00 m
Pollinators?Insects
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details



The flowers are sweetly scented[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
]. It is said that the pulp of the fruit is edible, but that the seeds are poisonous[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
]. The unripe, green fruit are roasted[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
].
The ripe fruit is high in fat content. It is boiled in water and the fat skimmed off the surface. Although it has an unpleasant smell, it can be eaten[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The ripe fruit is high in fat content. It is boiled in water and the fat skimmed off the surface. This can then be used to polish iron. It is also suitable for the production of candles and soap, although the greenish brown oil is unpleasant-smelling[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
].

The wood is pale brown or light reddish, soft and grained with a curious papery feel when planed smooth. It is only used for small ornaments, for carving household items such as spoons and pipes, and formaking arrows[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
,
775
Title
Gemsbok Bean and Kalahari Truffle
Publication
 
Author
Leffers A.
Publisher
Gamsberg MacMillan; Namibia.
Year
2003
ISBN
99916-0-491-X
Description
Details of the traditional uses of over 200 species of plants in northeastern Namibia. Written for the non-expert, there is usually at least one photograph with each plant entry.
].

Propagation

Seed - it has a very short viability and needs to be sown as soon as it is harvested in soil collected from around the parent tree. The seeds are often parasitized and must be collected before they turn totally black[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
]. The seedlings need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible - they normally grow away quite quickly after transplanting[
295
Title
PlantZAfrica.com
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.plantzafrica.com
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-01. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ochna+pulchra>

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