Bauhinia petersiana

Bolle

White bauhinia, Zambezi coffee

Fabaceae Edible: Seeds - coffee, Seeds, Nectar, Root Potential hazards — see below 101 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Bauhinia petersiana, the Kalahari white bauhinia, is a species of shrubs from family Fabaceae and the subfamily Cercidoideae found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The species is 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in height. The flower is up to 15 cm (5.9 in) wide, with five narrow white petals.

Description

An untidy spreading bush. It grows 3-4 m high. It can be 9 m high. The bark is dark and powdery and flakes off in strips. The leaves have lobes for almost half their length. The lobes are oval. They are 3.5-6 cm long and 3-8 cm wide. The base of the leaf is deeply lobed. The flowers are long and crinkled with white petals. Flowers are 8 cm long by 1-1.5 cm wide. The fruit is a large brown pod. These are 12-18 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. They split open rapidly forming a spiral.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Oil Root Seed Seedpod Edible Uses: Coffee Drink Oil Seed - cooked. Roasted and eaten like nuts, when they are considered a delicacy. The seeds can be harvested whilst immature - the whole green pod is briefly roasted and then the seeds removed and eaten. A meal made from the pounded seeds is eaten. The seeds can be eaten green, but ripe seeds are usually roasted, peeled, and pounded into a pleasant-tasting, coarse meal. The mature seeds are roasted and ground into a powder then used as a substitute for coffee. Immature seedpods - cooked. They can be roasted or boiled. Root - roasted. The core of the root is rejected and only the outer portion eaten. Mainly a famine food, it is seldom eaten at other times. An oil is obtained from the seed. The principal fatty acids in the seed oil are linoleic acid (45%), oleic acid (26%), palmitic acid (16%) and stearic acid (7%).

Traditional Uses

The ground seeds are sometimes used as a coffee substitute. The seeds are eaten green and ripe. Ripe seeds are roasted and peeled and pounded into a gritty meal. The nectar of the flowers is eaten The root is eaten raw and also baked and pounded.

Medicinal Uses

Antidiarrhoeal Antitussive Skin The leaves are boiled, the steam inhaled and the cooled-down liquid drunk to cure common cough. The pounded leaves, mixed with salt, are boiled and the warm liquid is sprinkled on wounds to promote healing. An infusion of the roots is used to treat dysmenorrhoea and female infertility. A decoction of the macerated roots is drunk as a remedy for diarrhoea. The roots and leaves contain tannins.

Known Hazards

Root is seldom eaten outside famine periods.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in woodland and wooded grassland at medium and low altitudes. It is often on termite mounds. It grows from 120-1800 m altitude. It is more common in the lowlands. It is damaged by drought or frost. It needs well-drained soil. In Zimbabwe it grows in areas with a rainfall between 600-750 mm per year. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Australia, Botswana, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania*, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

The plant can tolerate some frost and can be found in areas experiencing as little as 350mm of rain in a year. Requires a sunny position in a well-drained, preferably light, soil. Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Propagation

Seed - Cuttings Layering

Other Uses

Dye Fibre Oil String Tannin The bark fibres are used to make rope. A dye is obtained from the roots. Special Uses Carbon Farming Food Forest

Notes

There are about 250-350 Bauhinia species. Most are in the tropics. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Nutrition

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Seeds - coffee	6.8	1552	371	22.9	—	—	3.9	2.9
Pods	40.5	1038	248	9.2	—	29.7	0.5	—

Synonyms

Perlebia petersiana (Bolle) Schmitz

Also Known As

Chingando, Imondo, Koffiebeesklou, Michingando, Mpando, Mpandula, Mpapa, Muauwa, Mubondo, Mumwando, Mun’ando, Mupondo, Muuwa

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