Click on Arrows for Slide Show
A slide show with text at the base to explain each image.
Slide Show Index Below
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
 
Trees and Shrubs Archive
Balanites aegyptiaca
Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del.
Family: Balanitaceae
Description: Small tree reaching a height of around 10m with a stem diameter of around 30 cm. The canopy may be deciduous for part of the dry season. Trees coppice well.
Distribution: Native to the Sudano-Sahelian zone, Israel, and Jordan.
 Environmental Requirements:

Altitude: Sea level to 1600 m
Rainfall: 200 to 1200 mm
Soils: Sandy soils. Also found on Vertisols (black cotton soils) in Kenya.
Ecozone: Semi-arid to arid
Establishment: Direct seeding or root suckers. No seed treatment required.
Pests & Diseases: No information available
Uses: Good firewood and charcoal; edible fruit and seed has 30-40% of edible oil; young foliage and fruits are eaten by goats, sheep and camels; plant parts are used as soap substitutes because of high saponin contents; thorny branches used for fencing;
Medicinal uses: Extracts of the fruit and bark are lethal to snails (host for schistosomiasis) and water fleas (host for guinea worm). Seed kernel yields the sapogenins (diosgenin and yamogenin).
References: Under construction

BACK

Disclaimer: All pictures, sound and video recordings from this site are copyrighted by Dr. Erick C.M. Fernandes. All copyrighedt material can only be used for NON-COMMERICAL use only. All PUBLIC PERFORMANCE and other COMMERICAL use of these contents are strictly prohibited. By using and viewing this page you must agree to these terms. Illegal use of this page is subject to substantial civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution. The maintainer and/or owner of this web site shall not be responsible for any consequences thereby occurs.
Copyrighted by Dr. Erick C.M. Fernandes ©2003. All rights reserved.
Site info contact Henry H. Kha