AgroForestryTree Database
Ziziphus mucronata
 Species identityEcology and distributionPropagation and managementFunctional usesPests and diseasesAdditional InfoBibliographyImages |
Species identity
TaxonomySynonym(s)
Common names
(Afrikaans) : blinkblaar-wag-‘n-bietjie, buffelsdoring
(Amharic) : ado kurkura, foch
(English) : buffalo thorn, Cape thorn
(Ndebele) : umphafa
(Shona) : muchecheni
(Swahili) : mkunazi
(Tigrigna) : gaba-harmaz
(Tswana) : mokgalo
(Xhosa) : umPhafa
(Zulu) : isiLahla, umKhobonga, umLahlankosi, umPhafa
Botanic description
Ziziphus mucronata is usually a shrub or medium-sized tree up to 9 m tall with a trunk that is frequently crooked; branches spreading, often drooping, branching well above ground or near the base. Bark grey-brown and smooth when young (often spiny), but becoming darker brown and fissured with age. Leaves ovate to broadly ovate, mucronate, 2.5-8 x 1.9-8 cm, shiny, densely hairy to quite smooth. The twigs, leaf stalks and veins (3-nerved from the base) often covered with fine hairs, especially when young. The strong thorns are in pairs, 1 straight to 2 cm and the other smaller and recurved, leaves arising between the 2 thorns. Flowers small, yellow, inconspicuous, bisexual, in tight axillary clusters, often producing copious nectar. Fruit a round, reddish-brown, glossy drupe. Trees with 2 types of fruit, the small type 7-10 mm in diameter and the large type 15-25 mm in diameter, all often remaining on the tree after the leaves have fallen. The pulp is dry and meally. The generic name is derived from the latinized version of the Arabic vernacular name ‘zizouf’ for Z. jujuba; ‘mucronata’ refers to the shape of the leaf.
Ecology and distribution
Natural HabitatZ. mucronata grows in areas dominated by thorny vegetation in both temperate and tropical climates. Also found in open scrubland, woodland, forest margins and riverine vegetation. It is a very hardy species, most common in dry areas; it is resistant to both frost and drought. Regarded as an indicator of underground water.
Geographic distribution
Native : Angola, Botswana, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Biophysical limitsAltitude: Up to 2 000 m, Mean annual temperature: 12-30 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 446 mm Soil type: Fluvisols and a variety of fine texture soils. Tolerant to shallow soils, seasonal waterlogging, salt spray and soil salinity.
Reproductive Biology
Z. mucronata is a hermaphroditic species. In South Africa, flowering is from October to April and fruiting from February to August.
Propagation and management
Propagation methodsGrows easily from direct sowing, seedlings, root suckers and natural regeneration. Remove the flesh and soak in cold water for 6 hours. Cover the seed in seedling trays with a thin layer of river sand and keep moist. Seeds usually germinate in 2-3 weeks with a minimum of 75% germination. Germination is epigeal. Seedlings transplant easily into black nursery soil but they have long taproots and care should be taken not to damage them. There are 700-1100 fruit/kg.Tree Management
Z. mucronata is very adaptable, growing in all types of soil and standing intense heat and cold equally well. A fast-growing tree, under good conditions it will reach a height of 4-6 m in 4-5 years. Can be managed through lopping, pollarding and coppicing. Trees can be planted as scattered groups of 10-20 individuals to act initially as fodder trees and later as shade. Young trees must be protected from browsing cattle. The root system is not aggressive.
Germplasm Management
Orthodox storage behaviour; viability maintained for 2 years in hermetic air-dry storage at 5 deg. C. There are 500-2000 seeds/kg.
Functional uses
ProductsFood: The fruit, with thin, meally flesh and a sweetish taste, is eaten fresh or dried, in meal or porridge. The young leaves can be cooked and eaten as spinach; they are not very palatable but are nutritious. Seeds are roasted, crushed and used as a coffee substitute. Fodder: A valuable fodder tree, especially in drier areas. Stock and game (giraffe, eland, kudu, sable, black wildebeest, nyala, impala, klipspringer, springbok, Sharpe’s greysbok, steenbok, Damara dik-dik and warthog) relish the highly nutritious leaves and fruit. Apiculture: Beekeepers consider Z. mucronata a valuable source of nectar. Fuel: The wood is hard and makes good firewood and charcoal. Timber: The termite-resistant wood is used for building poles and posts, live and dry fences, and for hunting and fishing weaponry. Whips and bows are made from saplings and from the flexible shoots. Thorny branches are sometimes used to make kraals. Tannin or dyestuff: The bark contains 12-15% tannin. Medicine: A wide remedy for almost any pain is a poultice of the powdered and baked roots, which are eaten after they are removed from the affected area. Boils and other skin infections are treated with leaf paste, and this, together with an infusion of the roots, is a treatment for tubercular gland swellings, measles, dysentery, lumbago and chest complaints. Roots are used to treat snakebite. The bark is used as an emetic; bark decoction is used for rheumatism and stomach troubles; bark infusion is used to treat coughs; and bark is used in a steam bath to purify the complexion.Services
Boundary or barrier or support: A useful species to plant as a hedge around camps. It forms an impenetrable hedge for at least 10 years before the crown is too high off the ground to act as a barrier.
Pests and diseasesLarvae of the butterflies black pie (Tuxentius melaena), common dotted blue (Tarucus sybaris sybaris), Hintza pie (Zintha hintza), and white pie (Tuxentius calice calice) feed on the leaves.
Bibliography
Beentje HJ. 1994. Kenya trees, shrubs and lianas. National Museums of Kenya.Bein E. 1996. Useful trees and shrubs in Eritrea. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Nairobi, Kenya.
Bekele-Tesemma A, Birnie A, Tengnas B. 1993. Useful trees and shrubs for Ethiopia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Coates-Palgrave K. 1988. Trees of southern Africa. C.S. Struik Publishers Cape Town.
Dale IR, Greenway PJ. 1961. Kenya trees and shrubs. Buchanan’s Kenya Estates Ltd.
Drummond BR. 1981. Common trees of the Central Watershed Woodlands of Zimbabwe. National Resources Board.
Eggeling. 1940. Indigenous trees of Uganda. Govt. of Uganda.
Hong TD, Linington S, Ellis RH. 1996. Seed storage behaviour: a compendium. Handbooks for Genebanks: No. 4. IPGRI.
Kokwaro JO. 1976. Medicinal plants of East Africa. East African Literature Bureau.
Mbuya LP et al. 1994. Useful trees and shrubs for Tanzania: Identification, Propagation and Management for Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Noad T, Birnie A. 1989. Trees of Kenya. General Printers, Nairobi.
Palmer E, Pitman N. 1972. Trees of Southern Africa Vol. 2. A.A. BalKema Cape Town.
Tietema T, Merkesdal E and Schroten J. 1992. Seed germination of indigenous trees in Botswana. Acts Press.
Venter F, Venter J-A. 1996. Making the most of Indigenous trees. Briza Publications.
Young JA, Young CG. 1992. Seeds of woody plants in North America. Dioscorides Press, Oregon, USA.