African Birch
Anogeissus leiocarpa

Family: Combretaceae

What it is like

African birch or Anogeissus leiocarpa is a small to medium-sized evergreen shrub with an open crown. It grows up to 15 m tall with a straight bole of up to 100cm in diameter. It is native to savannas of tropical Africa. Flowering occurs in the rainy season. Decoctions of the bark, leaves and roots are used in traditional medicine for its antimicrobial and anthelmintic activity. Stem and root bark extract have exhibited antifungal activity. Leaf or leafy twigs decoction is used for treating yellow fever, jaundice, hepatitis, colds, and headache. It is also applied externally against haemorrhoids and skin diseases. The bark is powdered and used for wounds, eczema, psoriasis, and boils among others. A gum can be extracted from the bark. It is used in pharmacy as an emulsifying agent. Moreover, the fleshy roots are used against labour pains. Pulped roots, on the other hand, are applied to sores as it accelerated wound healing. The seeds have antibacterial and antifungal properties as well. The gum extracted from the bark is edible and is considered as the best chewing gum substitute for gum Arabic. Young leaves are cooked and eaten as vegetable. The leaves, as well as the bark and roots, are used in dyeing. The wood is hard and heavy, an excellent fuel and produces quality charcoal. African Birch is slow-growing during its initial stages and is very sensitive to bush fires.

Anogeissus leiocarpa is an evergreen Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 15

Where it is found

Found from the driest savannah to the wetter forest borders, in wooded grassland and bushland and on riverbanks. Often grows gregariously on fertile soil in moist situations, from sea-level up to 1,900 metres.

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Eritrea and Ethiopia, south to DR Congo.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Countries/locations it is found in

Coming Soon

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

An edible gum is obtained from the bark. Fairly soluble in water, it is chewed and, in northern Niger, it is considered the best chewing gum substitute for gum arabic. It contains 22% uronic acid. It is of good viscosity and is usable as a substitute for or adulterant of gum-arabic. A cold water infusion of the gum is considered a palatable beverage. A decoction is given to a new-born baby to drink. The fruit and the calyx are used in the preparation of sauces or to make a tea. Tender young leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Inner bark: the bark that is found just beneath the tough outer bark of trees and shrubs.

Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.

Medicine

Rating: 4

The bark, leaves and roots are all used in traditional medicine usually in the form of decoctions. They have antimicrobial and anthelmintic activity and are usually taken as decoctions. Extracts of the stem and root bark and of the leaves have shown antifungal activity against a number of pathogenic fungi. Moderate antibacterial activity of the bark was also demonstrated. Extracts of the plant have exhibited in-vitro activity against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains. A decoction of the leaves or leafy twigs is used against yellow fever, jaundice, different kinds of hepatitis, common cold and headache. Externally, a leaf decoction is applied against haemorrhoids and skin diseases. The root-bark is considered to be aphrodisiac and stimulant. In some regions the bark is used as a febrifuge in hot lotions and infusions. The powdered bark and a bark decoction are used externally to treat wounds, eczema, psoriasis, anthrax, carbuncles, boils and several kinds of ulcers. The bark decoction is also known as a muscular tonic. The bark and the exuding gum have been shown to prevent and cure dental caries and toothache and are commonly used in Africa. The gum obtained from the bark is laxative. It can be used in pharmacy as an emulsifying agent. The bark itself is chewed to obtain the gum. The fleshy roots are used against labour pains. The pulped roots are applied to sores to promote healing, and to accelerate wound healing. The seeds have a wide bactericidal and fungicidal activity in humans and animals.

Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.

Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.

Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.

Eczema: Used in the treatment of eczema - a chronic health condition that affects the skin, causing redness, dryness, itching and infections.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.

Other

Rating: 4

Other uses rating: High (4/5). Agroforestry Uses: The tree is planted in Eritrea to stabilize river banks. Within its native range it is a pioneer species on open forest clearings. However, the tree has very slow initial growth and is very sensitive to bush fires, which somewhat limit its usefulness. When grown gregariously it effecively kills out grass. Other Uses The leaves are rich in tannins and are used to dye cloth a yellow colour. In West Africa, they are commonly used in the oldest African traditional dyeing process of cotton textiles known as 'basilan'. Dyeing with the leaves of this plant has even become a full-time occupation for many people. The bark, and roots are also a source of tannins and dyes. The ash of the leaves, the bark and the wood are used as mordants to improve the fastness of many other dyes and in the indigo dyeing process to maintain the necessary alkaline pH. The wood ash is used as a lye in washing clothes and as a basis for making soap. The damaged bark exudes a partially soluble gum which contains 22% uronic acid. It is of good viscosity and can be used as a substitute for or adulterant of gum-arabic (Senegalia species). It is used in various ways, including for beating cloth; to make ink more viscous; as an adhesive; medicinally; and for food. In Ghana and Nigeria the roots are used and traded as chewing sticks. The chewing sticks have shown strong activity against a wide spectrum of bacteria, including some contributing to tooth-deterioration. The heartwood is a dark, dull brown, streaky, becoming almost ebony-black; it is distinctly demarcated from the wide band of whitish yellow sapwood. The texture is fine; the grain wavy or interlocked. The wood is heavy and hard; it is not durable in contact with the soil, but is resistant to the attacks of termites and insects, though not of marine borers. It is extremely resistant to preservatives. It seasons rapidly, but with some distortion. The wood is moderately easy to saw, but difficult to plane, mortise and bore; it finishes and polishes well and is easy to turn and glue, but nailing is difficult. It is much used for piles and rafters in house construction, for agricultural implements, tool handles and occasionally in cabinet making. It is a favoured wood for use in carving. The wood is an excellent fuel and yields good charcoal. In the whole Sahel region fuel has become so scarce that even these useful trees are being sacrificed.

Adhesive: Glues.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.

Mordant: Used for making a dye more permanent, it also affects the colour of the dye.

Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.

Soap making: Plants used as an ingredient in making soaps. Does not include the essential oils, dyes and oils that are also used in making soap.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

A plant of the African tropics, from lowland to moderate elevations, able to grow in semi-arid to much moister areas where annual rainfall can range from 200 - 1,200mm. Prefers a moist, fertile soil. Succeeds on a range of soils, including compact clays. Prefers an acid pH. A slow-growing tree, it flowers year-round but most abundantly at the beginning of the rainy season. The flowers have a strong sweet smell. The tree can be pollarded and has some ability to coppice. It is very sensitive to fire. In regions where African birch is collected, the harvesting contributes to the growing scarcity of the tree populations, which is exacerbated because little rejuvenation appears to be taking place. The tree used to occupy whole forests on fertile soils but it is becoming rarer because land is being cleared for agriculture, wood is collected for timber and fuel and the seeds are difficult to germinate.

Propagating it: The seeds are very small and soon lose their viability (within 6 months); in addition, their germinating capacity is rather low, with only 10 - 15% of the seed proving to be viable. The germination of the seeds takes a long time and seedlings are not easy to obtain

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

African birch or Anogeissus leiocarpa

Synonyms

Anogeissus schimperi Hochst. ex Hutch. & Dalziel Conocarpus leiocarpus DC. Conocarpus schimperi Hoch