The generic name is often wrongly spelt Thylachium[].

Common Name:

General Information

Thilachium africanum is a shrub or small tree growing up to 7 metres tall. The stems an be branched or unbranched, and grow from a thickened, tuberous rootstock[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of wood. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental and to provide shade[].

Known Hazards

The tubers are poisonous[].

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northern S. Africa, Swaziland, Madagascar.

Habitat

Deciduous woodland, bushland and thicket, grassland with scattered trees, riverine forest, abandoned cultivated areas, at elevations from sea level to 1,600 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	4.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Tubers - cooked[]. The raw tubers are poisonous and need to be prepared properly to make them edible[]. Traditionally, they are peeled, cooked and the water drained off several times to reduce their toxicity before being eaten with tea[]. Alternatively, they can be peeled and soaked in water for about a week, then washed and dried in the sun. The dried tubers are pounded and sieved to leave a flour that is used to prepare a food called uji or ugali, which is eaten along with cooked vegetables[].

The fruits are eaten by children[]. The oval fruit is 3 - 6cm long[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is used for making tool handles and spoons[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings.

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