Common Name:

General Information

Rhodognaphalon schumannianum is a deciduous tree with a medium crown; it can grow up to 40 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 21 metres; it is up to 150 cm in diameter, with buttresses up to 3 metres high[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use, mainly as a source of fibre, medicine and edible seeds. The seeds are sometimes sold in local markets[]. The tree is sometimes cultivated for food etc, and is also planted to provive shade and as an avenue tree[, , ]. The wood is used locally and also traded.
It is unclear as to what extent this species is threatened with genetic erosion. It has been recorded as being at low risk/of least concern, but is not included in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East Africa - Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique.

Habitat

Dry lowland forest, riverine forest and coastal thickets at elevations from 600 - 1,100 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	35.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,100 metres. The average annual rainfall in its area of distribution is normally not less than 1,000mm[].

Initial growth is fairly fast. Three years after sowing, seedlings may be 2 - 3 metres tall[].
The seeds are dispersed by wind, but most seeds do not spread further than 100 metres from the tree[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[]. They can be roasted and eaten like groundnuts. The roasted seeds can be ground into a powder that is then used for cooking with vegetables or meat[, ].

Medicinal

The bark is astringent. It is a traditional medicine for the treatment of diarrhoea and malaria[, , ].

The roots are used to treat asthma, coughs and diarrhoea[].

Ethanol, petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts of the root bark have shown in-vitro antimalarial activity[].

Other Uses

The seed floss from the fruit has been used for stuffing pillows, cushions and mattresses[, , ].

The inner bark yields a fibre that is used for rope making[, , ].

A red-brown dye is obtained from the bark[, , ].

The heartwood is pale to dark pinkish brown with diffuse dark bands; it is indistinctly demarcated from the sapwood when freshly cut, but on drying the approximately 75mm wide band of sapwood becomes cream-coloured. The grain is straight or interlocked; the texture medium to moderately coarse; black gum ducts are sometimes present. The wood is very light to light in weight; weak; very soft to soft; of low durability and is liable to attacks by sapstain fungi, marine borers and termites. It dries rapidly with some surface checking and distortion, and occasional collapse; once dry it is stable in service. Both the green and dry wood saw easily; the wood works easily with hand and machine tools; it takes nails well, but the holding power is low; gluing is correct; it peels easily; painting, staining and lacquering properties are poor; veneers dry rapidly, with high shrinkage, and tend to be brittle. The wood is locally used for roofing, doors, panelling and cheap plywood for packing cases. The bole is traditionally used for dugout canoes. The wood is suitable for low-grade furniture, sporting goods, matches, hardboard, particle board and wood-wool. It is also suitable for pulping[, , , ].
The wood is used for making charcoal[].
The wood fibres have an average length of 1.9 mm, with a diameter of 25.4 μm. The chemical composition is: cellulose 50%, pentosans 8%, lignin 35% and ash 1%. The solubility in cold water is 1%, in hot water 2%, in alcohol-benzene 4% and in 1% NaOH 16%. Paper-making experiments in the 1950s resulted in papers with low strength[].

Propagation

Seed - sow in a nursery seedbed in partial shade. If sown fresh, the seed normally germinates well, sprouting within 4 - 21 days. Seedlings are planted out when they are about 1 year old and 60 - 120cm tall[].
The seed can be stored for about four months but is susceptible to fungal and insect damage[].

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