Yeheb. Yeheb nut
Cordeauxia edulis
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
Cordeauxia edulis is an evergreen Shrub growing to 4 m (13ft) by 4 m (13ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 4
Where it is found
Dry areas. Semi-arid scrub on coarse, deep red sands with a water table at 6.5 - 25.5 metres and at an elevation of 100 - 1,000 metres.
Northeastern tropical Africa - Somalia, Ethiopia.
Conservation Status: Status: Vulnerable A2cd
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Australia, East Africa, Ethiopia, Israel, Kenya, North America, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, USA, Yemen
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Seed - raw, roasted or boiled as a vegetable. A sour flavour when eaten fresh or dried, but they have a sweetish, agreeable, chestnut-like taste after roasting. The seeds may also be boiled for a sweet liquor. The size of a large filbert with a smooth consistency and a delicious chestnut-like flavour. Nutritious. The seed has a thin, easily broken shell. The carbohydrate and protein content of the seeds is lower than in pulses and other legumes, but they are richer in sugars and fats, hence 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.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.
Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 2
Cordeauxiaquinone, a substance found in the leaves and other parts of the plant, is used medicinally to stimulate haemopoensis. Cordeauxia edulis is said to regulate gastric secretion and to permit treatment of ulcers due to hot food. It is also believed to alleviate anaemia by augmenting the number of red blood cells.
Other
Rating: 3
The plant contains cordeauxiaquinone, a brilliant red dye which is unknown elsewhere in the plant kingdom. Cordeauxiaquinone produces fast, insoluble dyes with some metals and is used as a mordant in dyeing factories. The bones of animals that browse the plant become pink due to the cordeauxiaquinone. A substance between liquid oil and fat, less pleasant than olive oil but useful for soap making, is extracted from it. I assume it is extracted from the seed. The seed oil is useful for soap making. The wood is used for firewood. A hard wood, it burns well even when still wet.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.
Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.
Mordant: Used for making a dye more permanent, it also affects the colour of the dye.
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.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.
Under Development: Plant breeders are actively working to domesticate these plants for cultivation, but they are not yet commercially available as crops. Examples include most of the perennial cereal grains.
Wild Staple Crop: Some wild plants have strong historical or contemporary use. Although they are not cultivated crops, they may be wild-managed.
Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.
Under Development: Plant breeders are actively working to domesticate these plants for cultivation, but they are not yet commercially available as crops. Examples include most of the perennial cereal grains.
Wild Staple Crop: Some wild plants have strong historical or contemporary use. Although they are not cultivated crops, they may be wild-managed.
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
A plant of the lowland arid tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. 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.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe, when germination is usually good. The viability is low if the seed is stored for a few months; however, seeds coated in wood ash and stored in a sack are reputed to remain viable for at least a year. Germination is rapid, but subsequent growth of the aerial parts is very slow, especially in the seedling stage, whereas the root system grows rapidly. Plants 60cm tall may already have roots 2 metres long. Sowing in situ is recommended because problems exist with moving seedlings from the nursery due to rapid tap-root development. Vegetative propagation possible.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Ehb, Gud, Jeheb, Qud, Quda, Ye-eb
Synonyms
No synonyms are recorded for this name.