Xeroderris stuhlmannii Seeds - Wing Pod Tree - South African Indigenous Edible

Xeroderris stuhlmannii Seeds

Wing Pod Tree

Xeroderris is a monotypic tropical African genus that is placed in the Fabaceae family. Xeroderris stuhlmannii is the only specie in the genus. It is indigenous to South Africas Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces but also naturally occurs in seasonally dry regions from Senegal and Guinea eastwards to Kenya, and southwards to Mozambique. Xeroderris stuhlmannii or Wing Pod Tree as it is commonly known is a spreading tree that can attain 10 meters in height. It has greyish bark and fresh green compound leaves. During spring it bears stunning sprays of small pea-shaped white flowers. It has a medium growth rate and is considered to be an important food plant in tropical Africa because of the edible seeds that it produces. Previously it was named Ostryoderris stuhlmannii. The wood is used for furniture, railway sleepers, canoes, handles and utensils. In Tanzania the wood is locally used to make grain mortars. In Ghana the branches are used for making roofs. The wood is suitable for heavy construction, flooring, vehicle bodies, sporting goods, interior trim, joinery, poles and piles, carving, toys and novelties, turnery, veneer and plywood. It is also used as firewood and for the production of charcoal. The bark contains a fibre, which is sometimes used to make brooms. In Zambia the bark is used for tanning hides. The red bark exudate is sometimes used as a dye and for tanning. Seeds are eaten in times of food shortage after prolonged cooking, as they are reported to be poisonous in fresh condition. They are also ground to produce a meal. In Tanzania Xeroderris stuhlmannii is considered useful for wind breaks. Leaves and fruits are browsed by livestock. The bark is used in traditional medicine to treat coughs, colds, rheumatic arthritis, stomach-ache, dysentery, eye infections, wounds, and as a purgative. Root decoctions serve as a vermifuge; they are taken to treat elephantiasis, gonorrhoea, syphilis, dysmenorrhea, chest pains and urinary complaints, and applied externally against ringworm. Pounded roots are applied to sores. The leaves are used to treat colds, coughs, wounds, stomach problems, amenorrhea, fever and malaria.

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