Colophospermum mopane

Deciduous tree reaching 12m tall and wide, growing slowly. Hardy to UK zone 10. Accommodates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils including nutritionally poor soil with good drainage preference. Tolerates mildly acidic to very alkaline pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun; prefers moist to wet soil but drought-tolerant. Shallow-rooting habit allows survival on low mounds in wet areas and saline conditions. Leaflets fold during daytime heat to minimize water loss and shade-casting.

Description

A shrub or tree. It grows 1-30 m high. It loses many leaves during the year. It can have one or many stems. The crown is round. The bark is thick and fibrous. It is dark grey and has deep cracks along it. The leaves are alternate and have 2 leaflets. The leaf stalk is 2-4 cm long. The leaflets do not have stalks. The leaves are like butterfly wings. There are 7-12 veins from the base. The leaves smell of turpentine when crushed. The flowers are in short panicles in the axils of leaves. They are whitish-green. The fruit is a flattened pod. It is almost kidney shaped.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, though it is only used as food during times of shortage.

Traditional Uses

An edible insect the mopane worm occurs on this tree.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Bark extract is used as a remedy for syphilis and as an application to inflamed eyes. A deep red decoction of the bark is drunk to relieve stomach pains. Gum exuded from heated wood is applied to treat stubborn wounds, and the leaves are also used for wound healing.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in hot arid places. It grows from 200-1,200 m altitude. Plants cannot stand cold. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall of 100-800 mm. It needs well-drained soil. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Gabon, India, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seeds. The seeds are planted while still in the pod. They are planted shallowly just showing above ground. They germinate in 1-2 weeks. Seeds can be stored for up to 3 years.

Propagation

Seed retains viability for at least three years. The pods do not split open naturally, and seeds can germinate while still inside them. Removing seeds from the pod speeds up germination but must be done carefully. Sow in flat seedling trays filled with river sand, placing seeds on the surface and keeping the trays consistently moist to allow water absorption. Seedlings are initially slow growing but pick up speed once they reach about 20 cm in height. Transplant with care, avoiding root damage.

Other Uses

The plant is useful for stabilizing dry, alkaline soils and is listed among tree species used in sand-dune stabilization in India. Its wood ash is rich in calcium and potassium, making it a useful fertilizer, and its high lime content (approximately 50%) also makes it suitable for producing whitewash. A small fibre obtained from the bark of some trees can be twisted into twine. Tannin is extracted from the bark. The tree is a source of the hard resin known as Angola or Congo copal, primarily used in making varnish; some trees yield no copal but instead ooze a clear yellow gum when the bark is incised. Twigs are used as toothbrushes. The dark-grey wood is hard, heavy, and quite durable, though difficult to work. It is used for mine timbers, fence posts, house poles, bridge timbers, railway material, carved ornaments, parquet flooring, furniture, tool handles, and other implements, valued especially for its resistance to termites. The wood makes excellent firewood, burning with great heat and very little ash even when green, though its hardness makes felling, chopping, and splitting difficult. It is also used to make charcoal. As an agroforestry species, the plant is very shallow-rooting, allowing it to survive on low mounds in wet areas or under saline conditions where topsoil salinity is low, though it thrives only where competition from deep-rooting trees is minimal. Its open crown casts little shade, and during the heat of the day the leaflets fold together to present the smallest surface area toward the sun, conserving water and further reducing shade.

Production

It grows slowly.

Other Information

It is a famine food.

Notes

It is a host for mopane worms (Imbrasia belina) which are eaten. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Butterfly tree, Canye, Cungua, Iphane, M'sanha, Massamba, Mopane, Mopani, Mophane, Mupane, Musharu, Mwaani, Ntsono, Sanya, Tsanya, Turpentine tree

References (12)

• Bull. Jard. Bot. Etat 19:390. 1949
• Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 30
• Kew Plants of the World Online
• Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 92
• Palmer, E and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa. Vol. 2. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town. p 842

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