Bersama abyssinica (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)

Bersama abyssinica subsp. abyssinica Melianthaceae Indigenous

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  branches

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  habit

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  leaves, flowers, fruits

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  flowers

• English: Winged bersama
• Agewgna: Azmiri, Dinkifi
• Amargna: Azamir
• Gamogna: Zagie
• Guragigna: Sabattala
• Oromugna: Boqo, Dolkiss, Gessa, Qaracha, Lolchissa
• Sidamigna: Teberako
• Tigrigna: Asha-om, Bersma
• Wolaytgna: Tintala shoa

A small tree common from East to southern Africa. In Ethiopia, found in forest, at forest edges or on cleared land as well as in grassland, open woodlands, on slopes and hills in Dry, Moist and Wet Weyna Dega and lower Dega agroclimatic zones of almost all regions, 1,700–2,700 m.

Firewood, medicine (crushed leaves, bark juice, root decoction), bee forage, live fence.

A shrub or small leafy tree usually 3–7 m but to 15 m in forest. The trunk may be crooked.

• BARK: Brown and smooth becoming grey and rough.
• LEAVES: Compound with 5–10 pairs of dark green leaflets, plus one at the tip. The leaf stalk may reach 60 cm and be wingless or just lightly winged (other subspecies not appearing in Ethiopia have clearly winged leaf stalks) while hairy at the base. Each leaflet is about 10 cm long, narrowed to a pointed tip; the edge may be slightly toothed or not.
• FLOWERS: Grow from thick upright spikes, like “candles” to 35 cm, buds and stalk hairy, opening to green-cream flowers, slightly pink, each 2 cm across.
• FRUIT: Thick woody capsules, rounded to 2.5 cm across with golden hairs at first. Capsules crack open into 3–5 sections, each with a bright orange-red seed, 1 cm, wrapped for half its length in a waxy yellow aril.

Seedlings, cuttings.

About 1,100—1,300 seed per kg. Germination may reach 70% but is sporadic within 5—10 weeks.

• Treatment: The seed coat is thin but the aril should be removed. Sensitive to freezing.
• Storage: Can be stored for a couple of months.

Produces root suckers.

Caution: Leaves are poisonous to livestock. This species easily regenerates under mature trees and may invade cultivated land left fallow even for just a few years. Only the subspecies abyssinica occurs in Ethiopia.