Common Name: Tallow Wood

General Information

Tallow wood is a sprawling, spiny shrub or tree with a rounded or conical crown; it can grow up to 10 metres tall, but is usually smaller. The thin, straight spines are up to 10mm long[]. The plant is often semi-parasitic[]. The bole is seldom more than 10cm in diameter[].
The plant is gathered from the wild, and also cultivated in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, N and NE Australia, Africa and the Americas, for the edible fruits and seeds (raw or pickled) and a myriad of other uses[, ]. The tree is also grown as an ornamental as well as to provide shade or to be used as a hedge.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Africa, S. America, E. Asia - Indian subcontinent.

Habitat

A mostly solitary tree, dispersed in open country, savannah, gallery forest, along coastal areas, in the understorey of dry forests, in dry woodlands, or on riverbanks[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	5.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Tallow wood can grow in a range of climatic conditions from hot tropical lowlands to the warm subtropics[]. It is found at altitudes up to 2,000 metres in the drier to moist tropics[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 14 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c[]. It is tolerant of occasional light frosts[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 400 - 1,250mm, but tolerates 300 - 1,500mm[].
Grows well in full sun to light shade[]. Succeeds on a range of soils and conditions including poor and dry, clays, clay loam, loamy sands, sandy clay loam and sands[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5[]. Plants are drought tolerant once established[].
Plants are sometimes semi-parasitic - able to take water and nutrients from other plants through the roots, but not dependant upon this for survival[, ].
Seedling plants can commence fruiting when 3 - 4 years old[, ].
Plants can flower and fruit on several occasions each year[, ].
A dioecious species - both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - eaten raw or made into preserves, pickles and fermented into a beer[, ]. Looking like a yellow plum, the fruit has a juicy pulp with an acid-sweet, aromatic, almond-like flavour[, ]. Considered to be wholesome and palatable by most people, though some consider it to be purgative[]. It is possible that the edible qualities are affected by climatic and soil conditions[]. The fruit contains about 67% oil[]. The globose fruit is up to 30mm long and 25mm in diameter[].

Flower petals - eaten in soups[].

A non-drying oil is obtained from the seed[]. It is used in India as a substitute for ghee[, , , ].

Young leaves - cooked as a potherb[, ]. They need to be thoroughly cooked[].

The roasted seeds are edible, but can be purgative if eaten in quantity[]. The seed is strongly purgative[]. The fatty kernel contains hydrocyanic acid, which gives them their almond flavour - it is not advisable to chew on them[] The seed is up to 15mm long and 12mm wide[].

Medicinal

The leaves and twigs are laxative. An infusion is used as a treatment for fevers and colds[].
An infusion of the leaves and twigs is as a mouthwash for relieving toothache and as an eye lotion[].

The leaves are used as a treatment for headaches, angina, and as a poison antidote[].

The roots are used to treat skin problems, headaches, leprosy, haemorrhoids, sexually transmitted diseases, guinea worm, sleeping sickness, oedema, and act as an antidote to poison[].

The fruit is useful in treating habitual constipation[]. When eaten in large quantities it acts as a vermifuge[].
The skin of the fruit is astringent[].

The bark is used in decoction, dried or powdered as a cicatrizant and applied to skin ulcers; it is put on the head to relieve febrile headaches, placed in bath water for sick children, and used for kidney and heart complaints[].

The seed is strongly purgative[]. It is used to treat snakebite[].
The seeds are roasted, crushed and then applied as a poultice to heal wounds[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants can be grown as a hedge[, ].

Other Uses

The seed contains a non-drying oil suitable for soap manufacture and lubrication[].

The fruit yields up to 67.4% oil from the seed that has been used as a body and hair oil[]. The oil is not edible, and the presence of a rubber-like substance excludes it from many industrial uses[]

The heartwood contains an essential oil that is used for fumigation[].
The flowers have an essential oil that could be a good substitute for orange blossom[].

The leaves, at a concentration of 100 ppm, cause 100% mortality of Bulinus globus, the vector in the transmission of schistosomiasis[].
Both bark and the crushed fruit rind are used to keep off fleas[].

The bark contains approximately 17% tannin. Both it and the roots are used in tanning[]. The bark is used to strengthen indigo dyes[].

The heartwood is yellow-red to brown-orange, fine textured and regular. The wood is very hard, heavy and durable[]. When large enough it is used for tool handles[]. It is sometimes used as a substitute for sandalwood[, ].
Firewood and charcoal are the chief uses of the wood, because the trunk is usually too small to make it useful for timber[].

Propagation

Seed - sown fresh it usually germinates well[].

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