Uses of Trees

Question 1

Name some interesting facts and uses of the African Wattle

Answer 1

• During rainy season; plant-sucking nymphs of Spittle bugs (Ptyelus grossus) encase themselves in protective acrid foam froth and cause this and other trees to “rain”.
• It was one of the woods used in wagon making
• In some communities; the presence of this tree is believed to give the feeling of comfort and freshness.
• Some believe that planting the tree together with sown corn will attract rain

Question 2

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Apple Leaf

Answer 2

• This is a protected tree in the RSA.
• Bark & roots highly toxic used as a fish poison
• “Rain tree” due to its popularity with spittle bugs.
• This tree fixes atmospheric nitrogen under certain conditions aiding in survival in a deficient soil and is beneficial to the surrounding vegetation.

Question 3

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Black Monkey Orange

Answer 3

• An almost perfectly preserved fossil was discovered in amber. It has been dated to about 30 million years old! This is one of the older angiosperms (flowering plants) ever found.
• Musical instruments are made from dried shells.
• The Seeds are poisonous but may be used to make soap.
• Local markets sell the Fruit. The Pulp is removed, crushed, dried and mixed with honey. In this state, it can be stored for at least 3 years.

Question 4

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Black Monkey Thorn

Answer 4

• Mature thorns turn black.
• Some research shows tree extracts have antimicrobial effects.
• The Gum (a water-soluble sugary polysaccharide exuded to seal wounds) is edible.
• Gum prevents infection by bacteria and fungi, and helps prevent trees from freezing.

Question 5

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Brown Ivory

Answer 5

• The fruit is edible, very sweet in taste and also used to make beer or pleasantly flavoured porridge
• In traditional medicine; the juice from the fruit is used to treat bleeding gums.

Question 6

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Buffalo Thorn

Answer 6

• The presence of these Trees may be an indicator of underground water.
• Leaves can provide useful fodder and are edible. When cooked they taste like spinach.
• Fruit consumed by numbers of indigenous people – fresh or dried. The crushed stone is also used to make porridge.
• Fruit is roasted and ground as a substitute for coffee can be generated.

Question 7

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Bushveld Gardenia

Answer 7

• The fine grained, light coloured wood is hard, dense and is useful for making fence posts, spoons, carving ornaments and firewood.
• The Fruit may be poisonous.
• They are used for bonsai-ing.

Question 8

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Green Thorn / Torchwood

Answer 8

• The Zulu people believe the torchwood tree has magic properties and can improve a person’s sight. The customary procedure to acquire this improved vision involves the removal of the root-bark which is then mixed together with parts of the potato bush and stirred vigorously to produce foam. This is then licked off the surface of the solution by the ‘pateient’ without the aid of his hands.
• Fruits placed in water can kill snails, fish and tadpoles.
• Fruits have kernels containing a fine tasteless oil. This oil burns with a very bright flame. Burning kernels) are used as torches hence, the common name: torchwood.
• Good quality oil is edible, colourless and slightly bitter.
• The stem of the tree contains an antifeedant - chemical agent that causes a pest such as an insect, to stop eating.
• Root extracts are used as an enema.
• The hard, dense and durable Wood is used to make sticks, stocks for guns, wooden bowls and handles for pangas (tools or weapons).

Question 9

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Jackalberry

Answer 9

• Recently cut Wood is pink but dries to be almost black (ebony)
• The lemon-like flavoured Fruit is edible either fresh or dried. It is used to make beer and brandy. The Seeds have a nut-like taste.
• Felloes (the outer rim of a wheel to which the spokes were fixed) were made from it.
• Root, bark and leaf extracts have shown antimicrobial activities against bacteria and fungi supporting the traditional use of the tree as medication.
• Porridge can be made from grounded fruit.

Question 10

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Jacket Plum

Answer 10

• People and domestic stock eat the pleasantly tasting tart Fruit. Good vinegar, jelly, alcoholic drink and even vinegar can be made from the fruit.
• A yellow edible oil extracted from the Seed is used to make soap and even for oiling guns.
• The tree is easily Grown from seeds and will enhance bird life wherever it is planted.

Question 11

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Knob Thorn

Answer 11

• The bark contains a lot of tannin and is sometimes used for tanning
• They grow very tall and the poles are often used as lightning conductors.
• The Knob Thorn is a firm favourite of the giraffe and its diet comprises 40% Knob Thorn throughout the year
• They grow on fertile alluvial soils and the leaves are very nutritious as a result
• Because they grow along rivers and because they grow tall, they are often chosen by white-backed vultures as nesting sites. The thorns add an extra element of protection.

Question 12

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Leadwood

Answer 12

• The fine-grained Wood is very hard and dense (1 200+kg per cubic metre and will thus easily sink in fresh water). It may also damage tools used to cut and shape it.
• The wood is also an excellent slow-burning fuel.
• The Herero and Ovambo regard this as an ancestral tree from which animals and people came.
• The Ash has been used for toothpaste and as a substitute for whitewash.
• Extracts from leaves have some antibacterial activity.
• Africans used this wood to make hoes before metal was discovered.

Question 13

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Long-tailed Cassia

Answer 13

• Various parts of the tree are used in traditional medicine for treating everything from blackwater fever; headache; toothache and stomachache to using it as a natural abortion agent.
• An infusion is made from the root and drunk as an aphrodisiac.
• And for the treatment of headaches; the smoke from smouldering twigs can be inhaled to bring relief.
• The root is used for the treatment of toothache.

Question 14

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Magic Guarri

Answer 14

• Has thick leathery leaves that don’t burn easily and branches are good for putting out veld fires.
• The fruit is edible (not very tasty), loved by birds; and is also used to make purple ink.
• The roots are used medicinally for the treatment of toothache, headache, convulsions, diarrhoea, infertility, bilharzia and as a purgative.
• Due to its tolerance of soils containing high levels of heavy metals, it has also been considered an indicator of gold deposits.
• Roots are also used in the production of brown dye for basketware.

Question 15

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Marula

Answer 15

• The powdered bark decoction is used to treat pregnant women to determine the gender of an unborn baby. If a pregnant woman wishes to have a girl, she will take a preparation from the female plant and for a boy she will use the male plant. If the child is born otherwise, then they are said to have defied the spirits and are regarded to be spiritually strong.
• Traditional healers use the hard nut in their divining dice.
• A decoction of the bark treats dysentery, diarrhoea, rheumatism and has a prophylactic effect against malaria.
• The bark is an excellent remedy for haemorrhoids.
• Red-brown dye can be produced from the fresh skin of the bark. The gum, which is rich in tannin, is mixed with soot and used as ink.
• The fruit is edible, eaten either fresh or made into a delicious jelly. It also makes alcoholic beer known as Mukumbi
• The white nut is highly nutritious and is eaten as it is or mixed with vegetables.

Question 16

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Matumi

Answer 16

• It is termite-resistant, known as one of the best indigenous woods for making dining room tables and chairs, parquet floors, for turning and boat building. Excellent for outdoor furniture; such as benches; but also for side tables and trays.
• Up until the 1960s, the wood was commonly used as railway sleepers, and some are still found today
• The bark has an extract that is much used to cure stomach illnesses

Question 17

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Natal Mahogany

Answer 17

• The powdered bark of Trichilia emetica is a popular remedy for stomach and intestinal ailments.
• The bark is also used to produce a pinkish dye

Question 18

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Red Bushwillow

Answer 18

• The wood is very hard, making it resistant to both borers and termites, it provides useful fencing poles, mine props and wheel spokes, and makes good furniture, but as the pieces are not large, they can only be used to make small items
• Medicinally, a decoction of the leaves has been used as a steam bath and as an enema to relieve stomach disorders
• As treatment for conjunctivitis, an ash from the burnt stem is mixed with white clay and water and the resulting paste is spread over the face.
• Tea can be brewed from the leaves
• Seeds may be toxic to people.

Question 19

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Red Spike-thorn / Confetti Spike-thorn

Answer 19

• Very good screen or hedge for protection
• Used in traditional medicine for pleurisy, diarrhoea, as a snakebite remedy, chest colds and coughs.

Question 20

Name some interesting facts and uses of the River Thorn

Answer 20

• The grubs of wood-borer (or longhorm) beetles, known as mabungu, live in the wood and are edible and an important source of protein to some rural people
• The powdered root is applied to swellings.
• A decoction of the roots is used to treat dysmenorrhea (pain during menstruation), infertility in women and bilharzia (schistosomiasis).
• A decoction of the stem bark is used to treat gonorrhea, abdominal pain and skin conditions.

Question 21

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Round-leaved Bloodwood (teak)

Answer 21

• It is also a favourite in bee farming as it is a good source of nectar and pollen for honeybees.
• It is used for general-purpose furniture.

Question 22

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Russet Bushwillow

Answer 22

• Dried leaves and fruits are used to make tea (fruits should not be boiled for too long; as it will leave a bitter taste).
• The wood is strong and hard and is termite and borer proof.
• The bark is used to treat heart disease and heartburn.
• The dried small shoots are used to treat tonsillitis and coughs.
• The roots are used to treat illnesses associated with the stomach; and as purgatives to treat numerous illnesses and body aches.

Question 23

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Sausage Tree

Answer 23

• roasted fruits are used to flavour beer and aid fermentation.
• The tough wood is used for shelving and fruit boxes; and dugout canoes are made from the tree in Botswana and Zimbabwe.
• Roots are said to yield a bright yellow dye.
• Traditional remedies prepared from crushed, dried or fresh fruits are used to deal with ulcers, sores and syphilis - the fruit has antibacterial activity.
• Today, beauty products and skin ointments are prepared from fruit extracts.
• Fresh fruit cannot be eaten - it is said to be a strong purgative, and causes blisters in the mouth and on the skin.

Question 24

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Scented Pod-thorn

Answer 24

• The wood of this species is hard and reddish in colour and most of the browsers eat the leaves.
• The bark exudes an edible gum. The gum can also be used as glue.
• The Zulus take a decoction of the bark as a cough remedy.
• The Voortrekkers made ink and dyes from the pods (red; black and yellow).
• Other parts of the tree were used to treat eye diseases; or as a tranquillizer and even as an aphrodisiac.
• Extracts made from the leaves are used in the treatment of menstrual problems; eye infections; sores (specifically those caused by leprosy); ulcers; indigestion and haemorrhage.

Question 25

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Shepards Tree

Answer 25

• Old trees may be hollow and store water – useful in times of need.
• Caper (seasoning or garnish) substitutes can be formed by pickling flower buds in vinegar.
• Roots have been used for making coffee (apparently not very good) and porridge.
• Milk from cows that eat the leaves may be tainted.
• The species has a number of pollinators and is a source of food for various mammals, birds and butterflies.

Question 26

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Silver Cluster-leaf

Answer 26

• The leaves and roots are boiled in water and the infusion is taken orally for the treatment of coughs, diarrhoea and stomach ache.
• The leaves can be used as an antibiotic for wounds
• Leaves used to coat pottery before baking to form a glassy finish.
• In the case of bleeding, a paste can be made by cooking the leaves in water and placing them on the wounds.

Question 27

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Sour Plum

Answer 27

• Ripe fruit has a vitamin C content of 27%, is high in potassium and contains protein. The seed has a 65% oil content.
• Fruits have a refreshing sour taste, best eaten when slightly over-ripe, but can also be used for making jam, dessert and jelly.
• Oil from the seed is used to soften human skins and for softening animal hides.
• It is also used for lamps.

Question 28

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Sweet Thorn

Answer 28

• The sweet thorn gets its common name from the gum which is exuded from wounds in the bark. This pleasant tasting gum is eaten by people and animals; including the Lesser Bushbaby which feeds exclusively on insects and gum from trees, particularly vachellia and sengalia trees.
• It also had commercial value in the past when the gum was exported as “Cape Gum” for making confectionary.
• The bark contains tannin which is used to tan leather to a reddish colour. (This unfortunately gives the leather an unpleasant odour).
• A strong rope can be made from the inner bark which is pliable enough for rope-making when it is wet.

Question 29

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Sycamore Fig

Answer 29

• The figs are commonly eaten raw or dried for later use. In Namibia fermented fruits are distilled to make an alcoholic beverage.
• A cold water infusion is made to stimulate milk production and the cows can be fed with the highly nutritious and easily digested leaves of this tree
• Bark powder is sprinkled on burns
• Latex sap or bark extracts are drunk for chest complaints; glandular problems, pharyngitis and diarrhoea.
• Two handfuls of bark are boiled with 3 glasses of water and the vapour inhaled, as a galactagogue: a food or drug that promotes or increases the flow of a mother’s milk.

Question 30

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Tamboti

Answer 30

• poisonous latex is traditionally used to stupify fish, making them easier to catch.
• It is not suitable as firewood because the smoke is toxic and will cause diarrhoea if meat roasted on the coals is eaten.
• The sawdust from the wood is harmful to the eyes and can even cause blindness. The wood is so strong that you can also make gun-stocks or arrows from it.
• A drop of the fresh latex is applied to a painful tooth as painkiller.
• The bark is used to treat stomach pains but large dosages will cause damage to the internal organs.

Question 31

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Tree Wisteria

Answer 31

• The wood of the tree wisteria is suitable for carpentry; it has a good finish and ws used extensively to make furniture by a well-known carpenter called Van Wyk, so much so that the tree became known in Afrikaans as ‘Vanwykshout’
• The straight growing stems are very hard, termite resistant and used for fencing posts.
• The roots are used medicinally to alleviate stomach problems and the inner bark used to treat abdominal cramps

Question 32

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Weeping Boer-bean

Answer 32

• A decoction of the bark is taken to treat heartburn and hangovers.
• Bark and root mixtures are used to strengthen the body and purify the blood, to treat nervous heart conditions and diarrhoea; as well as for facial saunas.
• The seeds are edible after roasting, and although low in fat and protein they have a high carbohydrate content.
• The bark can be used for dyeing, giving a red-brownor red colour.
• The heartwood is a dark walnut, almost black, hard; fairly heavy and termite resistant with a dense fine texture and has been much used for furniture and flooring blocks.
• It is also said to be excellent for all kinds of wagon wood and was chiefly in demand for wagon beams.

Question 33

Name some interesting facts and uses of the White Berry-bush

Answer 33

• The slender branches are used to make fish traps.
• Roots of this plant are also used in some African communities as contraceptives and for the treatment of syphilis, gonorrhoea, rheumatism, sterility, rashes.
• An infusion of the root is taken to relieve malaria.

Question 34

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Wild Dagga

Answer 34

• Leonotis leonurus contains a chemical constituent leonurine that has been reported to be used in traditional medicine for curing a wide range of ailments including headaches, coughs, fever, asthma, haemorrhoids and dysentery.
• An infusion of the flower and leaf is used to treat tapeworm.
• L. leonurus has also been reported as a slimming medicine.
• Early dwellers present in South Africa such as the Hottentot tribe or Khoikhoi, smoked the dry leaves and flowers which were said to have narcotic properties bringing on a calm sensation or euphoric feeling when smoked, hence the vernacular name wildedagga meaning wild dagga. It has been reported to be similar to Cannabis but not in any way related and is very mild and not as potent. It is one of the most effective legal herbal substitutes to smoking tobacco or cannabis. Users have reported to have experienced symptoms of mild excitement or elation, visual impairment, dizziness and light headedness, nausea, and sweating.
• The dried leaves can also be brewed to make an appetizing tea.

Question 35

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Wild Date Palm

Answer 35

• The leaves of Phoenix reclinata are used to make mats, baskets and hats.
• The midrib of the frond is used to construct fish enclosures (kraals).
• Palm wine is made from the sap.
• The fruits are edible and apparently taste quite similar to the commercial date.

Question 36

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Bushfeld Saffron

Answer 36

• The local people regard the bark of this tree as one of the best medicines for stomach problems and fever.
• The bark has a faint aromatic scent and is said to brew tea with a pleasant flavour, and this tea improves appetite.
• It contains more than 13% tannin, and therefore is used for tanning.
• An infusion made from the bark is drunk as a general stomach conditioner. The same infusion is also used as an enema to relieve stomach-ache and fevers.

Question 37

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Dwarf Boer-bean

Answer 37

• Boiled bark is used to treat heartburn and hangover.
• Schotias have edible seeds, which can be eaten as a meal when roasted and ground.

Question 38

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Flaky bark Thorn

Answer 38

• The Anacardiaceae family, commonly known as the mango family and the fruit have a mango-like flavour.
• This tree has the ability to protect and heal; due to a good spirit residing in it.
• Diarrhoea was successfully treated by an infusion made from the roots of the tree.
• The bark is used for tanning leather and to make dye.

Question 39

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Giant Raisin

Answer 39

• The seeds that have passed through the stomach of these animals germinate rapidly, presumably due to the stomach acids that help to dissolve the tough seed coat.

Question 40

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Nyala Tree

Answer 40

• It is traditionally used to treat diabetes mellitus.

Question 41

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Porcupine Bush

Answer 41

• Not endemic to South Africa.

Question 42

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Lowveld Milkberry

Answer 42

• The bark is dried; pounded and powder mixed with groundnut or simsim oil and smeared on the swollen breasts of a woman who is suffering from the mastititas - Mastitis is an inflammation of breast tissue that sometimes involves an infection. The inflammation results in breast pain; swelling; warmth and redness.
• Dense; hard wood for furniture.

Question 43

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Hairy Guarri

Answer 43

• A black Dye is extractable from boiled Roots.
• These extracts can be used to reduce dentin hypersensitivity.
• Tests have shown that extracts from this plant are significantly effective against Phytophthora sp. This fungus can damage crops.

Question 44

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Hairy Rock Fig

Answer 44

• Ficus glumosa displays the interesting characteristic of behaving like an evergreen tree in areas where the rainfall is very high and expresses itself as a semi-deciduous tree in arid area.
• The bark of the tree is often used for the tanning of leather.
• The milky latex of the tree is non-toxic and was recorded to treat eye infections in the past.
• The fruit of the tree is edible; and can be enjoyed fresh.

Question 45

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Impala Lily

Answer 45

• The impala lily is greatly valued for its flowers. A large plant in full bloom is among the most decorative of all succulents; and is highly prized in gardens where the climate allows it to be grown in the open. Adenium multiflorum is planted extensively in the rest camps of the Kruger National Park, for example.
• Used as a source of fish poison and arrow poison. The poison is prepared from latex in the bark and fleshy parts of the trunk, but it is always used in combination with other poisons.

Question 46

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Monkey’s Tail

Answer 46

• The roots are smoked to relieve asthma, and smoke from the whole plant is used to stop nosebleeds.It is also used as a charm against lightning.
• The tough, fibrous stems are used extensively in traditional home craft for making brushes and mats; and to make rope for hut and screen building.
• European settlers used small blocks of stem as pot scourers and scrubbing brushes.
• A group of scientists at the University of Cape Town are now using Xerophyta viscosa, a sister species to X. retinervis which exhibits similar ‘resurrection’ characteristics, as a source of genes that code for proteins responsible for this phenomenon. Their work focuses on characterising how certain genes, suspected to confer stress tolerance in plants, are expressed in this particular plant.

Question 47

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Large-fruited Bushwillow

Answer 47

• Guineafowl Butterflies use this as their larval food source.
• The gum of Combretum zeyheri has antibiotic properties.
• Leaves mixed with oil are used as an embrocation (liquid for rubbing on the body to relieve pain); to ease a stiff neck and backache.
• Bark is used for treating gallstones.
• Crushed leaves are mixed with water and the resultant fluid is used as an eye lotion.

Question 48

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Sickle Bush

Answer 48

• Dichrostachys cinerea is a nitrogen-fixing legume and therefore has a positive effect on the nitrogen content of the soil.
• The roots are used as a local anaesthetic for ailments such as snake bites; scorpion stings and toothache.

Question 49

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Sandpaper Raisin

Answer 49

• The sandpaper raisin is often associated with termite mounds, rocky koppies and riverine fringes.
• The berries of Grewia flavescens (omuhe in Herero) are soaked in water for two or three days to make a refreshing drink.

Question 50

Name some interesting facts and uses of the White-leaved Raisin

Answer 50

• The bark of this Grewia is used for fibre; and the wood for axe handles and sticks.
• The roots are also used to treat chest complaints.

Question 51

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Wild Cotton

Answer 51

• powdered root bark of the wild cotton plant is applied as a haemostatic
• In Somalia; the juice of the heated unripe fruit is dropped into the ear against earache.

Question 52

Name some interesting facts and uses of the Bush-cherry

Answer 52

• Ground roots have been used as chicory substitute.