Common Name:

General Information

Pterocarpus rotundifolius is a deciduous or semideciduous shrub tree with an open, rounded or irregular crown; it can grow from 3 - 25 metres tall. The bole is often short and of poor shape and, especially in the southern part of its range, is likely to be multistemmed. More rarely it can develop a tall straight trunk up to 60cm in diameter that branches from high up[, , , ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of wood. It is used In soil stabilization projects and is occasionally planted as an ornamental, being especially valued because of its profuse flowering and ability to provide shade[, , ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - Angola, southern DR Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, northern Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, S. Africa.

Habitat

Brachystegia woodland, open forest, wooded savannah; on (stony) hills and grassy slopes, plateaux, ridges, in alluvial valleys; fringing forest; often on red clay loam or sandy loam soils; at elevations from 60 - 1,550 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	12.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Wasps
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Found in drier to moist areas of the tropics and subtropics, it grows well in areas with summer rainfall and temperatures in the region of 20 - 35°c[]. Young trees are rather sensistive to frost, but become more tolerant as they grow larger (2.5 metres or more tall)[].
In a study in South Africa, the tree preferred clayey, medium-leached, acid, non-sodic soils with low conductivity, but in many areas it is common on deep sandy soils[, ]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Seedlings grow fairly fast and may reach 1 metre tall after one year[].
Young plants should be protected against cold winds for the first two years and from browsing animals, since overgrazing causes coppicing[].
Trees can commence flowering when very young[].
They usually flower in the rainy season, but during hot and dry weather the flower buds remain closed. Flowering is often very profuse. The strongly fragrant flowers last 2 - 3 days and are commonly visited by bees, which probably act as pollinators[].
Trees in S. Africa burn very easily in bush fires[]. In Mozambique, however, they were found to be fire-tolerant[].
Trees respond well to coppicing[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Sap from the tree is used as eye drops to treat eye complaints[].
A leaf infusion is used as a wash or dropped into sore eyes[].

A root decoction is drunk to treat anaemia[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is occasionally planted for erosion control[]. The plant is an important soil conserver with a non-aggressive root system[]..
The flowers are a good source of pollen and nectar for honeybees[, , ].

Other Uses

The seed contains 12% oil, the main fatty acids being linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid[]. No uses are mentioned.

The heartwood is creamy white and has an offensive, irritating smell when freshly cut; it is not demarcated from the sapwood. The wood is moderately heavy to heavy, rather difficult to saw, but it works well. It is moderately durable and fairly resistant to insect attack. The wood is used locally for poles etc on famrs and, when larger sizes are available, it can be used for furniture, shelves, picture frames, household utensils, wagon wheels and axe handles[, ].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve 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.
Seeds are often infested by insects; infested seeds should be removed before sowing. It is recommended that sowing be done in a mixture of sand and sieved compost (2:1), and seedlings with one leaf should be transplanted in planting bags filled with a sand-based, well-drained growth medium. Care should be taken to avoid damage to the taproot[].
Large stem cuttings (2 - 3 metres long and about 10cm in diameter) planted in holes filled with sand have been used for propagation; they showed a high survival rate[].

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