Bauhinia thonningii Schum.

Leguminosae (Cesalpiniaceae)

Common name(s): Abuklameira, Kharub, Tambarib (Arabic, Sudan)

Description

Tall shrub with a twisted stem, reaching 6 m in height, very branched; sometimes bears off-shoots. Smooth bark, vertically cracked, very fibrous on the inner side. Young leaves are feathery and reddish. Adult leaves are hanging, bilobate, the two lobes making a wide angle. The lower face of the leaf blade shows a very prominent vein netting which clearly distinguishes this species from B. reticulata with which it is sometimes confused. Flowers are set in long hairy racemes (20 cm). Fruits are long, wide, very coriaceous, flat and slightly cracked pods, velvet in the early stages. The wood is reddish, becoming dirty brown after exposure. Blossoms from December to June. Fruit persistent for a long time on the tree.

Distribution

This is a pan-African species, very common from the southern limits of B. reticulata to the border of the rain forest. It often invades recent savannahs from Senegal to Ethiopia and in areas where forest has recently been cleared. Very abundant in Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, northern Sudan and Ethiopia. It is rather a Sudano-Guinean than a Sudano-Sahelian species.

Products and uses

Bark fibres are used to make binding, ropes and “pagne”cloth. This bark is rich in tannins and may be used for tanning skins; the bark of young branches contains some 20% tannins, in adult branches and roots up to 18%, while fruits contain less, then content decreasing as fruits ripen. Pounded, boiled and macerated bark and roots produce a red dye used for “pagne” fabric and wooden objects. From pods and seeds, one may extract a dark blue dye. The inner part of the bark contains a gum, which swells in water and then hardens and is therefore used for caulking of African boats. Medicinal uses are many; decoctions of the leaves have fever-repelling and expectoral properties. Infusions of leaves and bark are used against worms, dysentery, diarrhoea and malaria. It is also used against leprosy, blennorrhagoeia, haemoglobinuria, sore throat and aching teeth. The charcoal crushed in oil produces a paste used as an unguent for the chest. Pods and young leaves are consumed by livestock. The wood is easy to work, but liable to insect damage; it is used for hut poles, handles, mortars and for joinery and cartwright’s work. In the Republic of Sudan, roasted seeds are consumed by humans.

Main References

Baumer, M. 1983. Notes on Trees and Shrubs in Arid and Semi-arid Regions. FAO/UNEP programme “Ecological Management of Arid and Semi-Arid Rangelands in Africa, Near and Middle East” (EMASAR Phase II). 270p.