Common Name:

General Information

Woodfordia fruticosa is a large shrub growing up to 5 metres tall with long, spreading branches[].
A valuable multipurpose plant, it has been exploited commercially as a source of tannins and dyes. It is also an excellent pioneer species, is used medicinally and has minor food uses. The flowers are traded in local markets for use in traditional medicines and the plant is also often cultivated in gardens[].
The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East Africa - Tanzania, Madagascar; E. Asia - Indian subcontinent, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia.

Habitat

Open, sunny places, often on disturbed soils and on old agricultural land. Open waste land and degraded places[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants are frost tolerant.
Requires a sunny position. Succeeds in any well-drained soil[]. Plants are very wind tolerant[].
The plant coppices well; coppice-shoots five years old averaged 3 metres in height.

Edible Uses

The flowers are eaten as food and used in the preparation of a cooling drink[]. (This report was a little unclear, and might have referred to the leaves[].)

Medicinal

The flowers are astringent[]. They are used in the treatment of dysentery, traditionally being beaten up with honey into a kind of confection[615. They are also thought to be of use in treating menorrhagia[]
The flowers are used externally as an astringent[].

Agroforestry Uses:

This is a common gregarious shrub which springs up naturally on landslips, abandoned cultivation, and other open places, killing out grass, binding the soil together and acting as a useful soil-improver and a most efficient nurse to tree species, including sal, which come up freely under its protective cover. It is unable to regenerate by seed in shady places so, as the trees grow larger this species gradually dies out.
It is not eaten by cattle, and is frost-hardy, and thus appears often in extensive pure masses on open ground subject to grazing.

Other Uses

A gum is obtained from the plant. It is similar to gum tragacanth[, ].

The flowers contain about 20% tannins[]. They are harvested when open and then dried for later use. When being used for their tannins, the leaves are employed more commonly than the flowers, simply because they are available in greater quantity[].
A dye is obtained from the flowers[, ]. It can be used on its own or combined with other dyes where they also act as a mordant[]. They are most commonly combined with Morinda citrifolia[].

The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

The seed is minute - the plant self-sows freely in open, well-drained ground but can be more difficult in a nursery situation. The most successful way in which to grow the plant artificially is to sow the seeds in broken bricks; on ordinary seed-beds it is very difficult to obtain germination and to raise seedlings. If sowing the seed in a nursery bed, the soil should be light and very well-drained and the position should be fairly sunny. Scatter the seed over the surface and just lightly push it into the soil - do not cover it. Water the seed gently, being careful not to wash it away, and water once or twice a day if the soil looks like it is drying out[].
Softwood cuttings[]. They are said to be easy[].
Hardwood cuttings[]. They are said to be easy[].

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