Bridelia micrantha (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)

Bridelia micrantha Euphorbiaceae Indigenous

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  habit

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  leaves, flowers

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  leaves, fruits

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  leaves, fruits

• Amargna: Yeneber tifer
• Gimirigna: ush
• Oromugna: Galalo, Riga‑arba

A tree of humid and subhumid areas in East and southern Africa. Grows in forests, by rivers, forest edges or open woodlands in Moist Kolla and Weyna Dega agroclimatic zones of Gonder, Gojam, Shoa, Arsi, Bale, Gamo Gofa, Kefa, Wolega, Ilubabor and Sidamo, 1,200–2,200 m.

Firewood, charcoal, timber, poles, tool handles, food (fruit), medicine (bark, roots), fodder (leaves), shade, mulch.

A medium‑sized leafy evergreen tree with dense spreading crown, to 13 m, rarely to 27 m.

• BARK: Grey‑brown, flaking with age, young stems zigzag, dotted with paler breathing pores.
• LEAVES: Appear compound but actually alternate along branches, dark shiny green above, to 15 x 8 cm, usually smaller, veins parallel, extending along margin, leaf stalks slightly hairy.
• FLOWERS: Small, yellow, bunched in leaf axils, male and female flowers on different trees.
• FRUIT: soft, purple‑black, oval, up to 8 mm long, sweet and edible when ripe.

Seedlings.

Prolific seeder.

• Treatment: Fresh seed should be used.
• Storage: Short viability period (oily seed); do not store.

Pollarding, pruning, coppicing. Fast growing on good sites.

The tree is becoming scarce due to over‑exploitation. The wood is resistant to termites. The tree can be grown beside crops in which case pollarding or pruning may be needed to reduce shading of the crops.