About Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth.
Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. may be deciduous or evergreen depending on rainfall. It reaches up to 24 metres (79 ft) in height, with a rounded crown, thick trunk, and spreading, low-branching limbs. When young, its bark is grey and smooth; on older trees it peels, and becomes dark grey to light brown and scaly, with creamy-white inner bark. Branches are marked with lenticels, and bark can be as thick as 6 mm (0.24 in) on a 15 cm (5.9 in) diameter branch. The wood of Kigelia africana is pale brown or yellowish, undifferentiated, and not prone to cracking. This tree grows mostly wild, most often in wetter habitats including rainforest, woodland, wetter savanna, and shrubland, on loamy red clay soil that may be rocky. It occurs at altitudes from sea level up to 3,000 m. Local African tribes have traditionally used this tree based on the belief that it helps treat various disorders. It contains a wide range of phytochemicals: phenols, coumarins, sterols, triterpenes, diterpenes, unsaturated fatty acids, quinones, iridoids, alkanes, and esters. In Botswana, its timber is used to make makoros, yokes, and oars. More broadly, the wood is used as fuel, for constructing canoes, planks, and fence posts, and for crafting a variety of household items including containers, musical instruments, furniture, and tool handles. Branches are used to make bows. Both wood and fruit are carved into objects such as traps, toys, and dining utensils, and wood also serves as fuel. The tannin-rich fruit pulp produces a black dye for colouring. Archaeological evidence shows early use of Kigelia africana wood for wedge-shaped tools at Kalambo Falls, Zambia, between 390,000 and 324,000 years ago. Around Mount Kenya, the Kikuyu, Embu, and Akamba peoples use dried fruit to produce an alcoholic mead called muratina in Kikuyu. To make the beverage, harvested fruit is split lengthwise, soaked to reduce bitterness, sun-dried, combined with cane sugar, then fermented for 2 to 4 days in a warm place, resulting in a final ethanol content of 3 to 6%. Kigelia africana is widely cultivated as an ornamental tree in tropical regions, valued for its decorative flowers and unusual fruit. It also carries major cultural and spiritual importance for many African communities. It is considered sacred, and its fruit is widely traded in local markets as a talisman believed to bring good luck in many circumstances.
