Ununza tree, Ordeal tree
Erythrophleum africanum

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows up to 15 m tall. The bark is grey and smooth in young trees and rough and brown in old trees. The leaves are divided twice with 3-4 pairs of side branches which carry 11-14 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets are 2.5-5 cm long. The underneath is hairy. The bases have unequal sides and become narrow. They are carried on short stalks. They turn yellow in autumn. The flowers occur in short dense groups about 2.5 cm long. They are greenish-yellow with a reddish tinge. The pods are 8-20 cm long and about 4 cm wide. They are hard and flat and burst open. There are 6 hard brown seeds inside. The seeds are edible.

The roots and leaves are poisonous. There are about 9-17 Erythrophleum species. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the desert. It can grow in arid places. It grows in savannah woodland and on the edges of mangroves.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Botswana, Burkina Faso, East Africa, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten. CAUTION: the bark is probably very poisonous.

Edible parts

Seeds

How it is grown

Fruit take 3-4 months to ripen.

Its other names

Local names

Corombel, Cursonsum-o, Cussonsom, Gerombele, Gorombe, Mucarale, Mucarara, Mupako, Mysepa, Pele, Peli, Querenduta, Uhacare

Synonyms

Erythrophleum guineense G. Don; Erythrophleum pubistamineum Henn.; Gleditschia africanum Welw.;