Dodonaea viscosa (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)
| Dodonaea viscosa (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007) |
Dodonaea viscosa Sapindaceae Indigenous
habit
plant
plant
branch
inflorescence
fruits
Common names
- English: Hop bush
- Agewgna: Kerara
- Amargna: Kitkita
- Borenagna: Hidesa
- Oromugna: Etacha, Tedecha
- Sidamigna: Itancha
- Somaligna: Den, Hayramat
- Wolaytgna: Geregetwa
Ecology
This tree has a wide natural range – Australia, India, tropical and subtropical Africa. It does well in a wide range of climates and soils. A pioneer species in disturbed ground. Widespread in Ethiopia in a variety of habitats, from riverine forest to rocky soils or arid marginal areas in Dry and Moist Kolla and lower Weyna Dega agroclimatic zones in almost all regions, 1,000–2,700 m.
Uses
Firewood, charcoal, poles, tool handles, medicine (decoctions from leaves and twigs, boiled roots), bee forage, soil conservation, windbreak, live fence, tooth brushes.
Description
A thin‑stemmed shrub or small evergreen tree, 3–8 m with a light crown. All parts are smooth and resinous when young. BARK: Dark grey, grooved, peeling. Branchlets red and sticky.
- LEAVES: Simple, up to 13 cm long, tip pointed, thin, narrow, stiffly erect, tapering to a stalk; young leaves light green, shiny and sticky.
- FLOWERS: Green-yellow, male and female separate, insignificant.
- FRUIT: Very many distinctive capsules, each 2 cm across with 2 - 3 papery wings, sometimes inflated, green-red-pink, appearing like “blossom”, becoming light brown, small seeds inside.
Propagation
Seedlings, wildings, direct sowing at site.
Seed
Germination rate 30–70 % after bout 15 days. About 100,000 seed per kg.
- Treatment: Not necessary.
- Storage: Seed can be stored for up to a year.
Management
Fast growing. Little or no management required once established.
Remarks
The species is not browsed and therefore easy to establish. The wood is hard and heavy but the stem has a rather small diameter. A good live fence for dry areas, susceptible to fire but regenerates rapidly after bush fires. It is especially useful in reclaiming poor land, including marshes to sand dunes.
