Piliostigma reticulatum (DC.) Hochst.

Leguminosae

Synonyms

• Bauhinia reticulata DC.
• Bauhinia glabra A. Chev.
• Bauhinia glauca A. Chev.

Common names

Abafe, Kalga

Description

Evergreen shrub or small tree with a twisted bole to 9 m high, with a bushy spherical canopy. Bark dark grey to brown, fibrous and corky, slash dark red. Leaves large, thick, leathery, grey-green, 6-12 cm long x 4-8 cm wide; split in half in cattle-hoof shape, apex bilobate, obtuse ; 9 palmate conspicuous central nerves. Flowers dioecious, clustered in short, hairy, axillary racemes measuring 4-5 cm. Petals white with pink stripes. Fruit large, long, straight, undulate or twisted and hard, either glabrous or sparsely pubescent, brown, indehiscent, up to 25 cm long x 5 cm wide.

Habitat

Common in fallows.

Water

Often in well watered sites along water courses, around ponds and in flood plains.

Soil

Found on various kinds of soils from sandy to clay and lateritic.

Distribution

Throughout the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones from Mauritania to the Rep. of Sudan extending to East Africa, up to 2,000 m elevation.

Propagation

Propagation by seeds treated in hot water, left to cool overnight ; 11,000 to 14,500 seeds per kg.

Products & uses

Leaves used for drinks and so are ponded / boiled pods. Bark used for cordage Twigs and leaves are consumed by cattle, sheep and goats, the latter prefer pods, however. Bark contains 18 % tannins, wood reddish, darkening to brown, attacked by various insects including termites. A blue dye is obtained from the pounded roots, seeds and pods. Tea from the leaves to treat colds, bark is astringent and used against diarrhoea and dysentery ; leaves and bark have haemostatic and antiseptic properties, cures also ulcers, boils, wounds and syphilitic cancer. Other medical uses are against coughs, bronchitis, malaria, hepato-biliary ailments, hydropsy, sterility, rachitis and kwashiorkor.

References

Aubréville 1950 ; Brenan 1957b ; Brenan 1958 ; Dalziel 1955 ; Catinot 1967 ; Giffard 1974a ; Kerharo & Adam 1974 ; Berhaut 1975 ; Weber et al. 1977 ; Le Houérou 1980a ; Le Houérou 1980c ; Le Houérou 1980d ; Baumer 1983 ; Geerling 1982/88 ; Von Maydell 1983/86 ; Burkill 1995.