Common Name: African Wattle

General Information

Peltophorum africanum is a tree with a spreading crown; it can grow 5 - 10 metres tall. It frequently branches from near the ground, or can be 2 - 3 stemmed from ground level[].
The tree is widely used as a traditional medicine in Africa, where it is gathered from the wild and also cultivated. Particularly beautiful when in flower, the tree is planted to provide shade, shelter and as a garden ornamental[]. It is also popular as a bonsai tree[].

Known Hazards

The gum is reputed to be poisonous[].

Botanical References

Range

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

Habitat

Wooded grassland and along marginal valleys[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	8.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist lowland tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 32°c, but can tolerate 16 - 38°c[]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -4°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,500mm, but tolerates 700 - 3,000mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Prefers a well-drained, sandy to loamy soil of moderate fertility[]. The plant is encountered in the wild on very poor, acidic, sandy, loamy to gravelly soil derived from sandstone, quartzite or shale and is also found on shallow soils on norite, granite and laterite[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
A fast growing tree[]. The initial growth rate is 1 - 1.5 metres per year[].
After cutting the tree coppices readily. Increased cutting height has a strong positive effect on the number of new shoots[].
Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

African wattle is commonly used in African traditional medicine, especially the bark and the roots. They are taken internally to treat a range of digestive disorders and as general tonics, whilst externally they are used to treat wounds and sores[]. Modern research has shown the presence of several medically active compounds.
The bark contains bergenin, an isocoumarin. This has been shown to have hepatoprotective activity; anti-arrhythmic effects of the coronary artery; and an inhibitory effect on the growth of the bloodstream form of the parasite Trypanosoma brucei[].
Both ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the roots and bark have shown inhibition in vitro of the gram-negative bacteria Salmonella typhi, Shigella sonnei, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni and Aeromonas hydrophila[].
The ethanol extract of the bark showed strong molluscicidal activity against the snail Biomphalaria alexandrina, a host of schistosomiases (causing bilharzia)[].
An oxidized gallotannin isolated from the stem bark was shown to have strong activity against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and integrase in an enzyme cell-free system[].

The bark is anthelmintic, emetic, febrifuge, stomachic, tonic[]. A decoction, sometimes with the leaves, is used in the treatment of a variety of stomach disorders such as diarrhoea and dysentery; to get rid of intestinal parasites; to treat fevers; to clean the liver and to relieve pain[, ]. The fresh bark is chewed to relieve colic and abdominal pain[, ].
Steam from a hot bark decoction is applied to sore eyes and, in serious cases, it is dropped into the eyes[, ].

Both decoctions and infusions of the root are used in the treatment of nausea and chest pain, and for purifying the blood[]. An infusion is seen as an effective remedy for heavy, painful kicking of the foetus in pregnant women, but it is only applied if the problem lasts for at least 2 - 3 days[]. The infusion furthermore stops heavy bleeding on giving birth and is used for treating cough with blood and tuberculosis[]. A decoction of the root is taken by mouth or gargled to treat sores in the throat[]. Combined with the roots of Bridelia cathartica and Ochna sp., it is used as a treatment for infertility[].
The boiled roots are used as an enema to treat backache[, ].
The powdered, decorticated root is applied to wounds to hasten healing[].

The leaves are boiled and the steam directed into the mouth to relieve toothache[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The dominance of this species in the vegetation is taken as an indication of a high level of arsenic in the soil; indirectly this may indicate the presence of gold[].
The plant's tolerance to adverse soil conditions makes it a candidate for reclaiming denuded sites such as abandoned mines and mine dumps[].
An important tree for beekeepers, as it is a good source of nectar and pollen[].

Other Uses

A gum is obtained[].

The bark is crushed in water and then rubbed into the coats of pets to keep away fleas and maggots[].

The rotten heartwood of dead trees has a pleasant aroma and is used for cosmetic purposes[]. It is pulverised and the powder simply rubbed onto the body[].

The heartwood is reddish to dark brown; it is distinctly demarcated from the dirty white to pale brown sapwood. The wood is fine-textured, interlocked-grain, heavy. It works fairly easily, takes a good polish and produces a smooth finish[]. It is used for carving, turning, making furniture, grinding blocks, wooden buckets, tool handles and wagons[]. It is not suitable for fence poles or buildings as it is not borer-proof[].
The wood is widely used as fuel[, ].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. The seeds take 3 - 10 days to germinate and the germination percentage is usually high[]. Young plants transplant readily, are fairly fast growing, but need protection from frost for 2 - 3 years although they withstand slight frost[].

The seed stores well, viability is maintained after 3 years of hermetic storage at room temperature[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: what is half of 6?