Large-leaved rhus
Searsia longipes

Family: Anacardiaceae

What it is like

Usually it is a straggling shrub. It can be a small tree. It can grow to 5 m tall. The bark is grey and becomes rough. The leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are oval and the end one is 4-13 cm long by 1.5-8 cm wide. The side leaflets are three quarters this size. The flowers are small and yellow. They grow in loose heads up to 8 cm long. These can be in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. The fruit is 6-7 mm across. They are reddish-brown when mature.

There are about 200 Rhus species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands and the highlands. It grows in open woodland and thicket. It is often along river banks. In Malawi it grows from 700-2,450 m altitude. In Zimbabwe it grows between 1,000-1,680 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten especially by children.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

It grows fairly quickly.

Its other names

Local names

Aambalaki, Aambalangw, Datlii, Emusigiloi, Inhlokotshiyane, Mchengele, Mkenikeni, Mtunumbi mgosi, Mudzambuya, Mufokosiana, Mukundi, Mutungahove, Sirong, Taa, Uaga guitel, Ungafree

Synonyms

Rhus inamoena Bullock; Rhus longipes Engl.; Toxicodendron longipes Kuntze;