Rhodesian teak, Zambezi teak
Baikiaea plurijuga
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
A tree. It grows 10-17 m high. The crown is round. The young bark is smooth and grey but becomes rough and cracked when old. It loses its leaves. The young branches are hairy. The leaves have leaflets. There are 4 or 5 leaflets. These have rusty brown hairs. The leaflets are 4-7 cm long by about 2 cm wide. They vary in shape. There are up to 40 flowers in a group 4-35 cm long. Only 1 or 2 flowers produce fruit and the rest fall off. The fruit are pods 8-14 cm long by 4-5 cm wide and broadly sword shaped. They split into 2 twisted valves. The seeds are dark red-brown. They are 2-2.5 cm long by 1.5-1.8 cm wide.
It is an important timber tree. Also as Caesalpinaceae.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows on Kalahari sands. It grows between 900-1,200 m altitudes. It has deep roots that help it avoid moisture stress.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Southern Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Flowers
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Mukusi, Mukusyi, Muse, Zambezi teak