Wing pod
Xeroderris stuhlmannii

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A medium to large spreading tree. It is 10-20 m tall. The trunk can be 12 m tall before branching. The trunk can be 1.2 m across. The crown is rounded or spreading. The bark is grey-brown. It has red sap from wounds. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves are compound with 15 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets are oblong and 5-13 cm long by 3.5-6 cm wide. The leaflets are crowded near the tips of small branches. The flowers are small and pea-shaped. They are white or green. They occur in sprays near the ends of branches. They form heads up to 20 cm long by 20 cm wide. The fruit is a large flattened pod. It is 10-18 cm long by 3-4.5 cm wide. These are swollen over the seeds. There are distinctive ridged veins over the swelling. There is a rim then a wing around the edge.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in deciduous bushland in dry, hot areas. It grows in woodland and grassland and savannah on well drained soils. It can be in hot, dry sandy country. It grows between 100-1,650 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central Africa, China, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten after prolonged boiling. They are also ground into a meal.

A famine food.

Edible parts

Seeds, caution, pods

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed or suckers. Seeds germinate within 2 weeks. The tree can be pruned and cut back and allowed to re-grow.

Its other names

Local names

Mlotwe, Molotue, Mulonde, Murande, Nande, Nlothe, Ucolotue, Vlerkboom

Synonyms

Deguelia stuhlmannii Taub.; Derris stuhlamannii (Taub.) Harms; Lonchocarpus argenteus A. Chev.; Ostryoderris chevalieri Dunn.; Ostryoderris stuhlmannii (Taub.) Dunn. ex Harms; Xeroderris stuhlmannii (Taub.) Mendonca & E. C. Sousa; Correct name now Aganope stuhlmannii (Taub.) Adema;