Cadaba farinosa
(Fenzl.) Forssk.
Esel-wood
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(c) Jean-François Olivier, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaCadaba farinosa is a 2–8 m (6.6–26.2 ft) high evergreen shrub or small tree that belongs to the caper family. It has simple ovate leaves with entire margins, zygomorphic, spidery, greenish, yellowish, whitish or pinkish flowers, and is covered in powdery hairs or scales, particularly the younger parts. It can be found in a zone from Senegal to India between the desert and the savanna.
Description
A slender tangled shrub. The branches arch over. It grows 1-4 m high. It can be 7.5 m high. The bark is grey and has strong grooves. The branches are stiff and sharp. The leaves are oval and greyish-green. The tip is rounded. The flowers are yellow-green. The fruit are 4-5 cm long. They are orange inside.
Edible Uses
The leaves are pounded and eaten in couscous, or used fresh and dried as flavoring. Young leaves are used fresh. The bark is eaten with cereals. The flowers are crushed and used to flavor and sweeten millet flour scones. The fruits are used in cake.
Traditional Uses
The leaves are pounded and eaten in couscous. The young leaves are used fresh and dried as flavouring. The bark is eaten with cereals. The flowers are crushed and used to flavour and sweeten scones of millet flour. The fruit are used in cake.
Medicinal Uses
C. farinosa contains aliphatic alcohols, glycosides, heteroside, nitrogenous bases, saponins, steroids and sterols, while particularly the leaves contain alkaloids. The wood of the plant is used for fuel. The leaves and young twigs of Cadaba farinosa are edible. In western Africa, leaves are squashed, boiled and eaten as a gruel, sometimes mixed with couscous. In northern Nigeria pounded leaves are mixed with cereals and dried to make irregularly shaped chocolate-brown cake, which is sold on markets called farsa, balambo, baleno, tsawa (in Hausa), or tigiraganda. Macerated flowers are added to dough to make it sweeter. It is used as fodder by different types of husbandry and is one of the species preferred by camels in the North of Kenya. Leaves are reported to contain 15.2–18.2% crude protein, about 60-80% fibre and 7-8% ash. It is also particularly relished by goats which browse its leaves year-round. In traditional medicine in different parts of Africa and India, several parts of the plant are reported to be used, against infections such as of the skin and the intestines, food-poisoning, anthrax, dysenteria, intestinal worms, and against pain such as rheumatism.
Distribution
A tropical and subtropical plant. It grows in deciduous wooded grassland. It also grows in coastal bushland. In East Africa it grows from sea level to 1,700 m altitude. It grows in the Sahel. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 200-500 mm per year. It can grow in arid places. It grows in areas with a mean annual temperature of 29°C.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Arabia, Asia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Congo DR, Djibouti, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, India, Iran, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown by seeds.
Propagation
Seed - the plant regenerates naturally by way of seeds.
Other Uses
Provides fuel wood. Used in sand dune stabilization. It protects the soil from wind and water erosion.
Other Information
It is a famine food.
Notes
There are about 30 Cadaba species. They are in Africa and Asia.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves raw | 70 | 355 | 85 | 9.2 | — | — | 3.8 | — |
| Flowers | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fruit | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Synonyms
Also Known As
Adamorinika, Anaedo, Annet, Bagayi, Baggahi, Cana macays, Chegaviche, Chepulus, Chepiti-suwo, Debarka, Dekoku, Dhiitacab, Dumaay, Fura, Habab, Kattagatti, Kattakatti, Keunya, Kibalazi-mwitu, Kodhab, Luqata sigmama, Muare, Mvunja-vumo, Numhele, Ol-amalogi, Sonwan, Umuvutavuta, Vili, Viludi, Zram
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