Craibia brownii (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Cereal / pulse
Medicinal
Timber
Fuel
Ornamental
Food security

Craibia brownii Dunn

Protologue: Journ. Bot. 49: 108 (1911).

Family: Papilionaceae (Leguminosae - Papilionoideae, Fabaceae)

Synonyms

• Craibia elliottii Dunn (1911).

Origin and geographic distribution

Craibia brownii is found in north-eastern DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and possibly in Rwanda.

Uses

The seeds of Craibia brownii are edible after long cooking. The wood is used for building poles, tool handles and wooden spoons, and as firewood and to make charcoal. Craibia brownii is also planted as a shade tree.

Properties

The wood of Craibia brownii is whitish and hard, and has a fine texture.

Description

• Small to medium-sized tree up to 24 m tall, with a pale grey bark.
• Leaves alternate, imparipinnate with 3–8 leaflets; stipules oblong, often semi-persistent; petiole 1.5–2.5 cm long, rachis up to 12 cm long; stipels sometimes present; petiolules 1–2(–5) mm long, wrinkled; leaflets alternate, elliptical, lanceolate or oblong, 4–15 cm × 1.5–7 cm, base cuneate to rounded, apex gradually acuminate, glabrous, shiny.
• Inflorescence a many-flowered terminal or axillary raceme 4–15 cm long, densely brown-pubescent; bracts oblong, up to 5 mm long, caducous.
• Flowers bisexual, papilionaceous; pedicel up to 12(–19) mm long; calyx brown-pubescent, tube 4–5 mm long, lobes very broad, c. 2 mm long; corolla bluish, pinkish or white, 18–22 mm long, standard with a short claw, wings and keel with well-marked auricles; stamens 10, 9 fused and 1 free, sheath 10–13 mm long, free parts 5–6 mm long; ovary superior, shortly stalked, 10–11 mm long, densely hairy, style cylindrical, 5–6 mm long.
• Fruit a shortly stalked, flat pod, 4.5–10 cm × 1.5–3.5 cm, asymmetric, shortly beaked, glabrescent, dehiscing with twisted valves, 2–3-seeded.
• Seeds ellipsoid, c. 17 mm × 15 mm, black.
• Seedling with hypogeal germination.

Other botanical information

Craibia comprises 10 species and is confined to tropical Africa.

Ecology

Craibia brownii is found in dry and moist forest and along rivers, at 1100–2200 m altitude, in areas with an annual rainfall of 850–1400 mm.

Genetic resources

Craibia brownii is not threatened by genetic erosion as it is widespread and locally common.

Prospects

Since very little is known about Craibia brownii, its prospects are unclear. Research is needed on the nutritional and chemical properties of the seeds.

Major references

• Beentje, H.J., 1994. Kenya trees, shrubs and lianas. National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya. 722 pp.

• Gillett, J.B., Polhill, R.M., Verdcourt, B., Schubert, B.G., Milne-Redhead, E., & Brummitt, R.K., 1971. Leguminosae (Parts 3–4), subfamily Papilionoideae (1–2). In: Milne-Redhead, E. & Polhill, R.M. (Editors). Flora of Tropical East Africa. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. 1108 pp.

• Hauman, L., Cronquist, A., Léonard, J., Schubert, B., Duvigneaud, P. & Dewit, J., 1954. Papilionaceae (deuxième partie). In: Robyns, W., Staner, P., Demaret, F., Germain, R., Gilbert, G., Hauman, L., Homès, M., Jurion, F., Lebrun, J., Vanden Abeele, M. & Boutique, R. (Editors). Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi. Spermatophytes. Volume 5. Institut National pour l’Étude Agronomique du Congo belge, Brussels, Belgium. 377 pp.

• Lovett, J.C., Ruffo, C.K. & Gereau, R.E., 2003. Field guide to the moist forest trees of Tanzania. [Internet] Centre for Ecology Law and Policy, Environment Department, University of York, York, United Kingdom. http://www.york.ac.uk/ res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/ tree%20guide/guide.htm. March 2005.

• Troupin, G., 1982. Flore des plantes ligneuses du Rwanda. Publication No 21. Institut National de Recherche Scientifique, Butare, Rwanda. 747 pp.

Other references

• ILDIS, 2002. World database of Legumes, Version 6,05. International Legume Database & Information Service. [Internet] http://www.ildis.org/. September 2004.

• USDA, ARS & National Genetic Resources Program, 2001. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Internet] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland, United States. http://www.ars-grin.gov/. September 2004.

Author(s)

• M. Brink, PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Correct citation of this article

Brink, M., 2006. Craibia brownii Dunn. In: Brink, M. & Belay, G. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. Accessed 18 December 2024.

• See the Prota4U database.