Schefflera abyssinica (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)
| Schefflera abyssinica (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007) |
Schefflera abyssinica Araliaceae Indigenous
Common names
- Agewgna: Pimepini
- Amargna: Gitem, Kokora
- Kefgna: Kambelo
- Oromugna: Harfatu, Marfatu
- Sidamigna: Oroni, Getem
- Somaligna: Bobuluhu
- Tigrigna: Getem
- Wolaytgna: Kokora
Ecology
This tree of upland rain forests is found south to Malawi and Zambia and west to Cameroon. It grows in secondary forest and woodlands in the humid upper highlands of the central, eastern and western highlands with Celtis, Polyscias, Podocarpus, Syzygium, Olea, Mimusops, Albizia, and Apodytes. It occurs in Moist and Wet Kolla, Weyna Dega and Dega agroclimatic zones of Tigray, Gondar, Wolega, Shewa, Harerge, Arsi, Sidamo, Kefa, and Ilubabor, 1,400–2,800 m.
Uses
Timber (furniture, boxes), farm tools, bee forage and live fence.
Description
A tree to 30 m with large leaves, rather palm‑like appearance. The trunk broad but twisted, the crown large and spreading.
- BARK: Grey‑black and corky.
- LEAVES: The large, compound digitate leaves are clustered at the ends of branches on stalks to 30 cm. The 5–8 leaflets have stalks 2–6 cm long. Leaflets are stiff or leathery, ovate, about 10–20 cm long, to 10 cm wide, the tip pointed, the edge normally round‑toothed, base heart‑shaped to rounded, few side veins, curved towards tip.
- FLOWERS: Compound flower heads with branchlets (racemes) 10–40 cm long are clustered below the leaves. Each small flower shortly stalked, and groups on a stalk about 2 cm long. The fleshy and fragrant cream‑yellow flowers attract bees.
- FRUIT: Rounded and ribbed, about 5 mm, clustered along flower branches, red when mature.
Propagation
Cuttings, seedlings, wildings. Cuttings should be planted at the end of the heavy rainy season.
Seed
- Treatment: No need, germinates in two weeks time
Remarks
Wood soft and easy to work but little use as firewood. Flowers during February to March and fruits during March to June. Seeds are collected in May – July.
