Bridelia micrantha

Bridelia micrantha, the mitzeeri or the coastal golden-leaf, is a tree in the family Phyllanthaceae and is native to tropical and southern Africa as well as to the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean.

Description

A deciduous tree. It grows up to 21 m tall. It has a wide leafy crown. The trunk is grey-brown. It is smooth when young but rough when older. The twigs are knobbly and covered with small scattered raised brown dots. The leaves are simple and slightly wavy. They are oval and have a point at the end. The base is narrowed or rounded. The leaves are 4-18 cm long and 2.5-10 cm wide. There are 8-15 pairs of veins. The veins and midrib are raised under the leaf. The leaves are on short robust leaf stalks. Young leaves are red. The male and female flowers occur on the same tree. The male flowers have stalks and the female flowers have no stalks. The flowers are white in in clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit are small and oval. They are black when ripe and 10 mm long by 7 mm wide. They are edible.

Edible Uses

The fruits are sweet and edible when ripe and taste slightly like currants. The ellipsoid fruit turns black when fully ripe, it is up to 8mm × 5mm when dried, slightly larger when fresh.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten raw. They are also used for jam and juice. The bark is eaten as a famine food. The bark is used as a stimulant.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Bridelia micrantha has been used locally in folk medicine, variously as an anti-abortifacient, an antidote, a laxative or purgative; and to treat diverse conditions of the central nervous system (headache), eye (infections, conjunctivitis), the gastrointestinal system (abdominal pain, constipation, gastritis), respiratory system (common cold), and the skin (scabies); and used hygienically as a mouthwash.

Distribution

A tropical tree. It grows in open woodland and near rivers. It can stand some frost. It is drought resistant. In Malawi it grows between 500-1,750 m altitude. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 800-2,500 mm per year. It can grow in arid places. It can grow in seasonally flooded areas.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. Seed must be sown fresh. The fruit pulp must be removed and then the seeds sown. The seedlings can be transplanted at the 2 leaf stage. They transplant easily. It can be grown by cuttings and root suckers.

Propagation

Seed - pre-treatment is not necessary, but only fresh seed should be used. The fruit pulp contains a growth inhibitor that must be removed - a suitable pre-treatment technique is to soak the seeds in cold water for 24 hours after removing the pulp. The seed can be sown in situ or in a nursery. Sow the seed in a mixture of river sand and compost (2:1) and keep it moist. Germination is good and uniform, up to 90-100% after 20-25 days. Seedlings and young plants transplant easily; they can be transplanted into nursery bags when they reach the 2-leaf stage. The oily seed has short viability and does not store. Root suckers.

Other Uses

The bark is a source of tannins plus red and black dyes. A red dye is extracted by boiling the bark. A black dye is obtained from the leaves, twigs and wood. The fruit also contains a dye. The pounded bark is used to fill cracks in doors and baskets. The resin is used for sealing cracks in doors, baskets, pottery and winnowing trays. The sapwood is yellowish and the heartwood reddish-brown to dark brown and is hard and moderately heavy (air-dry 670 kg/m³). The wood is durable, fairly hard and termite resistant. Poles from it are used for building huts and granaries, and are sometimes cut for beams or fence posts. The wood can be used for parquet floors, furniture, panelling, tool handles, boats, bows, carpentry, and most general joinery work. The oiled wood resembles black stinkwood. The wood makes excellent firewood and charcoal. Plants have an extensive root system that binds the soil effectively. They can be used along eroded drainage lines and streams where the natural vegetation has been removed. The trees form a canopy under which various other plants can germinate and grow, they can be used to establish new riverine vegetation. The trees can be planted in areas that flood during rainy seasons. It is grown in banana and coffee plantations for the shade it provides. The leaves are used for mulching.

Production

It is fast growing. Fruit are collected at the end of the rainy season. In South Africa fruit are available April to May. A fruit weighs 0.4 g.

Other Information

They are eaten especially by children. It is cultivated.

Notes

There are about 60 Bridelia species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Aericho, Akati, Athuno, Bissaca, Bissai, Bissaio, Bissaque, Bissoia, Bussaca, Chuguru, Dimualongo, Endure, Fibweza, Fudetchir, Gangan, Gugri, Imphisimakhata, Isihlalamangewibi, Kapasa, Kimwindu, Kimzindu, M'bonhe, Mahlombe, Massopa, Mitserie, Mitzeerie, Mkarakara, Mkarati, Mlewezi, Molyamahogovu, Motsere, Mpasa, Msonga, Msopa, Msumba, Mtututu, Muindu, Munzere, Mutsinguno, Mwisya, Nkarati, N'taque, N'tongue, Olanga, Orweco, Rigaa arba, Swatima, Tagate, Tolingi, Tolingue, Umhlalamagwababa, Umhlahlamakawaba, Untangue, Untongue, Utchak, Welakoo, Xema, Yegisla-tifir, Yejega

References (61)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 46 (As Bridelia micrantha var. micrantha)
• Adansonia 3:164. 1863
• Asfaw, Z. and Tadesse, M., 2001, Prospects for Sustainable Use and Development of Wild Food Plants in Ethiopia. Economic Botany, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 47-62
• Balemie, K., & Kebebew, F., 2006, Ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants in Derashe and Kucha Districts, South Ethiopia. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine.
• Bekele-Tesemma A., Birnie, A., & Tengnas, B., 1993, Useful Trees and Shrubs for Ethiopia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit. Technical Handbook No 5. p 118

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