11/10/22, 1:59 PM Burkea africana - Useful Tropical Plants

Burkea africana Hook. Fabaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name: Burkea

General Information
Burkea africana is an attractive, deciduous shrub or
tree, usually with a flat, spreading
crown[308, 326, 375, 418]. It ranges considerably in
habit - usually growing up to 10 metres tall, it is
sometimes no more than a low shrub, whilst
exceptional specimens can be up to 20
metres[308, 326, 418]. The bole can be straight, about
80cm in diameter and free of branches for up to 7
metres[375].
A multipurpose tree, it is widely harvested from the
wild for its various local uses. It is particularly valued
for its medicinal applications, and is often sold in local
markets for this purpose, but it also supplies food and
a range of materials. An ornamental plant, it is
sometimes grown as a street tree[299, 375, 418].
Tree growing in woodland savannah
Known Hazards Photograph by: JMK
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
The bark contains alkaloids and is poisonous to
grazing animals[375]. The pounded bark is used to
stupefy fish[375].
The foliage is toxic to grazing animals[375].

Botanical References
308, 326

Range
Tropical Africa - Senegal to Sudan and Uganda, south to Namibia, Botswana and northern S. Africa.

Habitat
In sandy soils in deciduous woodland and in wooded grassland at elevations from 40 - 1,740 metres[308, 326].

Properties

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Other Uses Rating

Habit Deciduous Tree
Height 10.00 m
Pollinators Bees
Cultivation Status Ornamental, Wild

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Cultivation Details
A plant of the moist to semi arid tropics, where it is found at elevations from near sea level to 1,740 metres. It grows
best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 14 - 36°c, but can tolerate 8 - 44°c[418]. Mature
plants can be killed by temperatures of -8°c or lower, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[418]. It prefers
a mean annual rainfall in the range 650 - 850mm, but tolerates 600 - 900mm[418]. The mean annual rainfall in its area
of distribution is 1,000 - 1,200mm[299].
The plant shows a strong preference for deep, loose, sandy soil[418]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 4.5 -
7.5[418].
The root system is often shallow and can extend for many metres from the bole[299].
Young trees reach sexual maturity when the bole diameter is about 12.5 cm[299].
Plants with a bole diameter of 12.5cm or more generally recover after forest fires, being protected by the thickness of
their bark[299, 418].
Trees usually respond well to coppicing[299].

Edible Uses
An edible gum is produced from the stem[418].

Tender young leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[617]. The leaves are used as a condiment[299]. The leaves
are only used very rarely[617].

Young flowers are eaten in sauces[299].

Medicinal
The bark, roots and leaves are commonly used in traditional medicine[299].

The bark is used to treat fevers, coughs, colds, catarrh, pneumonia, stomach obstruction, menorrhoea, headaches,
inflammation of tongue and gums, poisoning and skin diseases[299, 375]. The pounded bark is used as an arrow
poison antidote[375].
The powdered bark is applied externally to ulcers and wounds, and to treat scabies[299].

An infusion (of the bark?[K]) is used as a treatment against gonorrhoea and syphilis[375].

The gum is aphrodisiac[299].

The roots are used to treat stomach-ache, abscesses, oedema, epilepsy, bloody diarrhoea, gonorrhoea, syphilis and
toothache[299]. They have also been used as antidote against arrow poison[299].

The leaves are used in the treatment of fever, headache, epilepsy, ascites and conjunctivitis[299].

Other Uses
A dark coloured soluble gum is obtained from the stem[46]. It is of fair quality[46].

The roots, bark and seedpods are a source of tannins[46, 375, 418].
A black dye is obtained from the bark[375]. The bark is used as a dye to make the roots of Combretum zeyheri become
grey to blackish; these roots are then woven into baskets[299].

The twigs are used as chewing sticks in order to clean the teeth and maintain healthy gums[299]. The twigs showed
antimicrobial activity against a wide variety of bacteria and fungi; this supports the use as chewing-stick for dental
care[299].

The heartwood is reddish-brown to dark brown, the sapwood light brown with concentric rows filled with gum looking
like annual rings[375]. The grain is interlocked or wavy; texture fine to moderately fine and even; the wood is lustrous
and displays a nice stripe figure[299]. The wood is hard, heavy and durable. It is not difficult to saw, but difficult to work

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with hand tools, amenable to a fine polish but liable to split on nailing[299, 375]. It has a variable resistance to
insect/borers[375]. The wood is used for poles (e.g. For heavy construction and fences), parquet flooring, furniture,
railway sleepers, utensils such as mortars, tool handles, drums and other musical instruments such as xylophones and
balafons. It has been claimed by wagon makers that the wood is the best for making hubs because it does not shrink or
split. It is also suitable for joinery, interior trim, ship building, mine props, sporting goods, toys, novelties, draining
boards, carving and turnery[299, 375].
The wood makes a good fuel and charcoal[375]. It has been used commonly for iron smelting because of the hot flame
and little ash produced[299].

Propagation
Seed - it often has a low germination rate, and the germination time is very variable, from 10 days to 6 months or
more[299]. Because it has a hard seedcoat, it may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination.
This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook
them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and
swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and
soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[K]. It has been reported that seedlings often die off in the seed tray or when
transplanted. However, experiments showed that if the seedlings are transplanted into a well-drained, sandy soil with
superphosphate, the rates of survival can be quite high. Seedlings should be given 70 - 80% shade and water once
every week. Red sandy soil gives the best results[299].
Cuttings produce leaves and shoots that often soon die off[299].

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