Cordeauxia edulis

Evergreen shrub growing slowly to 4 m tall and wide, hardy to UK zone 10. Nitrogen-fixing species. Suits light sandy and medium loamy soils with good drainage; tolerates poor soil and drought. Requires full sun. Adapts to mildly acid to basic pH.

Description

A small evergreen shrub. It has many stems. It grows to about 1.6 m tall but can grow to 2.5 m tall in good growing conditions. It has a long tap root. The leaves are 3-5 cm long. They are divided into 4 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets are oval and leathery. They are 1-2.5 cm long and 1-1.4 cm wide. The flowers have both sexes and are carried in clusters at the ends of branches. They are bright yellow and 2.5 cm across. The pods are 4-6 cm long and curved with a beak. The pods are leathery and slightly flattened. The pods contain 1-4 seeds. The seeds are round and about 12 mm across.

Edible Uses

The seeds can be eaten raw, roasted or boiled as a vegetable. Fresh or dried seeds have a sour flavour, but after roasting they develop a sweetish, agreeable, chestnut-like taste. The seeds may also be boiled to produce a sweet liquor. They are the size of a large filbert, with a smooth consistency and a thin, easily broken shell. The seeds are nutritious; their carbohydrate and protein content is lower than in pulses and other legumes, but they are richer in sugars and fats, providing a balanced diet and high energy. The seeds have been mentioned as a coffee substitute. An infusion of the leaves is used as a tea substitute.

Traditional Uses

Seeds are dried then boiled or roasted or eaten raw. Tea is made from the leaves.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Cordeauxiaquinone, found in the leaves and other parts of the plant, is used medicinally to stimulate haemopoiesis. The plant is said to regulate gastric secretion and to permit treatment of ulcers caused by hot food. It is also believed to alleviate anaemia by increasing the number of red blood cells.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in arid and semi arid areas in Somalia and Ethiopia. It is a very hardy shrub. It can survive droughts. It suits areas with an average temperature of 25°C. It grows in Ethiopia from 300-1000 m altitude. The average rainfall is 250-400 mm but it can grow with rainfalls down to 150-200 mm. It grows in poor low nitrogen soils. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Australia, East Africa, Ethiopia, Israel, Kenya, Mediterranean, Middle East, North America, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, USA, Yemen,

Cultivation

It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 25 - 30?c, but can tolerate 20 - 38?c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 200 - 400mm, but tolerates 100 - 600mm. In more humid climates, plants produce more vegetative growth, but often at the expense of fruiting. Requires a sunny position in a light, very well-drained soil. Succeeds in poor soils that are extremely low in nitrogen. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 6 - 8.4. Established plants are very drought tolerant. Early aerial growth of young plants is slow until the massive root system is established. Plants only 1cm tall can have roots 15cm or more long. Plants begin to bear well when 3 - 4 years old. Plants begin to bear prolifically when only 1 - 1.2 metres tall. Yields of around 5 kg of seeds per shrub can be achieved. Such is the demand and free access to all wild plants that the fruits are often collected from the shrubs before they are fully mature. Plants can live for 200 years or more. A very deep rooted tree. The tree has somewhat fleshy leaves that stain the fingers red on being rubbed. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe, when germination is usually good. Viability drops rapidly if seed is stored for more than a few months; however, seeds coated in wood ash and stored in a sack are reported to remain viable for at least a year. Germination is rapid, but early aerial growth is very slow while the root system develops quickly — plants 60cm tall may already have roots 2 metres long. Sowing in situ is recommended to avoid problems transplanting seedlings caused by rapid tap-root development. Vegetative propagation is also possible.

Other Uses

The plant contains cordeauxiaquinone, a brilliant red dye not known to occur elsewhere in the plant kingdom. Cordeauxiaquinone produces fast, insoluble dyes with some metals and is used as a mordant in dyeing factories. Animals that browse the plant develop pink-coloured bones due to cordeauxiaquinone. A substance between liquid oil and fat, less pleasant than olive oil, is extracted from the plant and is useful for soap making, as is the seed oil. The wood is used as firewood and burns well even when wet.

Production

Plants grow slowly in the early stages. They may produce few pods in the first three years. Trees can live for very many years. In humid conditions plants produce more leaves but few seeds. Plants are pollinated by insects. Pods can develop 2 weeks after flowering. Immature fruit can remain dormant on the plant until further rains allow them to reach maturity. Yields of about 5 kg of seed per shrub can be obtained. A seed weighs 2-3 g.

Other Information

It is an important food of the poor people in Ethiopia.

Notes

The seed is nutritious

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ehb, Gud, Geed-yicib, Jeheb, Qud, Quda, Ye-eb

References (29)

• 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
• Bekele-Tesemma A., Birnie, A., & Tengnas, B., 1993, Useful Trees and Shrubs for Ethiopia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit. Technical Handbook No 5. p 170
• Brink, M., 2006. Cordeauxia edulis Hemsl. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Brink, M. & Belay, G. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 15 October 2009.
• Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1907:361. 1907
• Ethiopia: Famine Food Field Guide. http://www.africa.upenn.edu/faminefood/category2.htm

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