Ekebergia capensis Sparrman

Meliaceae

LOCAL NAMES
Afrikaans (esseboom,essenhout); Amharic (lol,sombo); Bemba (mwela);
English (dog plum,ekebergia,Cape ash); Lozi
(munyonga,mungombayami); Lunda (mupembe); Tongan (mumbafwe);
Xhosa (umGwenyezinja); Zulu (uVungu,uManaye,umGwenya-
wezinja,umNyamathi,uSimanaye)

BOTANIC DESCRIPTION
Ekebergia capensis is an evergreen or semi-deciduous, medium-sized to
large tree, 7-20 (max. 35) m tall. Stem swollen at base; may be tall and An evergreen tree up to 20 meters tall. The
fluted in forests and much shorter or unfluted in the open; it may also be wood is pale brown, light, soft and suitable
buttressed. Branching is erect, then spreading and finally drooping, giving for furniture. Stock and game readily browse
a moderately heavy, flattish crown; 2nd year branchlets slender, usually the fresh and fallen leaves. A good garden
less than 6 mm in diameter, marked by old, circular leaf scars and tree. (Botha R)
conspicuously dotted with white lenticels. Bark grey, grey-brown to almost
black, often mottled, smooth or rough, sometimes flaking in small circles
or squares; slash red with white streaks.

Leaves compound, 10-36 cm long, 8-18 cm broad, with common midrib,

sometimes slightly winged, alternate; stalks jointed to the stem and
leaving a scar on falling. Leaflets usually in 3-5 pairs, occasionally up to 7,
with a terminal leaflet, leathery, opposite, almost stalkless and smooth;
may be long and rather narrow, tapering to the point, broadly oval or
almost egg-shaped, glossy green; sessile. Leaves drooping, spirally arranged,
compound. Leaflets 9 - 13 per leaf, glossy
Flowers small, greenish-yellow or white, occasionally touched with pink, 5- green, variable in shape and size. The
petalled, borne in panicles that are long, branching heads, in the axils of leaves are used as a remedy for intestinal
leaves; male and female on different trees, sweetly scented, produced in worms. (Botha R)
loose sprays about 8 cm long. Each panicle consists of 12-70 flowers,
making the tree very conspicuous when in full bloom.

Fruits round, resembling small apples, thin skinned, almost spherical, 1-2
cm in diameter, succulent, with a faint onionlike taste, sweet scent, long
stalks, turning pink to bright red when mature with a whitish flesh; drying
and splitting to release seeds. Seeds white, oval, 2-4 or occasionally only
1.

The generic name, ‘Ekebergia’, is in honour of Captain Carl Gustaf

The bark is light grey to almost black and
Ekeberg (1716-1784); the specific name, ‘capensis’, means ‘of the Cape’. smooth with rough and flaky patches near
the base; the trunk may be slightly buttresed
BIOLOGY or fluted. The bark contains 7,23% tannin
Where conditions are favourable, E. capensis is covered with flowers and is used for tanning leather. The bark
every year, although in unfavourable localities trees may flower sparsely and root also have medicinal uses. (Botha R)
and only once in several years. In southern Africa, trees flower from
September to November, and fruiting occurs from December to April but
may occur as late as June; in Zambia, flowers appear between August
and October and fruits November to January. Pollination is by bees and
ants. Fruits are eaten by monkeys and birds, which help to disperse the
seed.

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Ekebergia capensis Sparrman
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ECOLOGY
E. capensis can tolerate slight drought conditions and very light frost but is tender to severe frost. It occurs in a variety of
habitats including high-altitude evergreen forests, riverine forests and coastal sandveld; it is an occasional tree of sub-
montane and swamp forests; it is rare on anthills in miombo and savannah woodland. It also occurs in scrub, both along
the coast and inland, where it may be stunted or gnarled. E. capensis is found in most parts of Zambia except for the
northwest corner and most of Luapula Province. Outside Zambia, it extends in a belt down the eastern side of the
continent from Ethiopia through Kenya, Tanzania and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to the Cape, South Africa.
Trees are found in most of the forests of South Africa from the Cape to Swaziland and the Transvaal, although not
plentiful in the Amatola Mountains. It is a threatened species in Uganda and a protected tree in South Africa.

BIOPHYSICAL LIMITS
Altitude: 1400-3 000 m, Mean annual rainfall: 750-2 000 mm

Soil type: The species does particularly well in deep sandy soil.

DOCUMENTED SPECIES DISTRIBUTION

Native: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda,
Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Exotic:

Native range

Exotic range

The map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does neither
suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological zone within that country,
nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. Since
some tree species are invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to
your planting site.

Agroforestry Database 4.0 (Orwa et al.2009) Page 2 of 5

 The map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does neither
suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological zone within that country,
nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. Since
Ekebergia capensis Sparrman
some tree species are invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to
your planting site. Meliaceae

PRODUCTS
Food: Although the flesh of the fruit is edible, it is not very palatable.

Fodder: Domestic stock and game (bushbuck, kudu, nyala) readily browse the fresh and fallen leaves, especially
during times of drought. Baboons, vervet and samango monkeys, bushpig, bushbuck and nyala eat the fallen fruit
beneath the tree. A useful tree to attract fruit eating birds.

Apiculture: Trees provide forage for bees.

Fuel: Firewood and charcoal can be obtained from the trees.

Timber: The heartwood and sapwood are not clearly defined; wood is susceptible to insect attack, is light (air-dry 592
kg/cubic m), soft, with an even grain, easily worked; straw-coloured to light brown; polishes well, but is not very durable.
It must be treated with a 10% solution of zinc chloride to protect against insects. Used for furniture, light construction,
poles, tool handles, panelling, beams for boat building, sides of wagons, doors, windows, carving, interior carpentry and
broom handles.

Tannin or dyestuff: The bark contains 7.23% tannin and is used for tanning leather.

Medicine: A decoction of the root is said to relieve headaches and chronic coughs; leaves provide a remedy for
intestinal worms. Bark is used as an emetic and to cure dysentery.

Other products: Branches are burned in the fields to ward off evil spirits.

SERVICES
Erosion control: E. capensis is employed in soil conservation.

Shade or shelter: Trees are worth cultivating for the useful shade they provide; they also act as windbreaks.

Ornamental: As E. capensis has a non-aggressive root system, it is suitable for large gardens and parks; in South
Africa, it has been planted as a street tree.

Intercropping: Trees may be intercropped with coffee and bananas.

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Ekebergia capensis Sparrman
Meliaceae

TREE MANAGEMENT
Trees are fairly fast-growing. Young trees should be protected from cattle and game for the 1st 2 years. This is a fast-
growing species with a growth rate of up to 1 m/year; it responds well to watering.

GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT
Seed storage behaviour is uncertain; 52% germination is observed with seeds at 21% mc, 39% germination after 9
months of subsequent storage at 4 deg. C. There are 2900-8600 seeds/kg.

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FURTHER READNG
Beentje HJ. 1994. Kenya trees, shrubs and lianas. National Museums of Kenya.
Bekele-Tesemma A, Birnie A, Tengnas B. 1993. Useful trees and shrubs for Ethiopia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit
(RSCU), Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Coates-Palgrave K. 1988. Trees of southern Africa. C.S. Struik Publishers Cape Town.
Friis I. 1992. Forests and forest trees of northeast tropical Africa. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.
Hamilton A.C. 1981. A field guide to Uganda forest trees.
Hong TD, Linington S, Ellis RH. 1996. Seed storage behaviour: a compendium. Handbooks for Genebanks: No. 4.
IPGRI.
ICRAF. 1992. A selection of useful trees and shrubs for Kenya: Notes on their identification, propagation and
management for use by farming and pastoral communities. ICRAF.
Katende AB et al. 1995. Useful trees and shrubs for Uganda. Identification, Propagation and Management for
Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International Development
Authority (SIDA).
Mbuya LP et al. 1994. Useful trees and shrubs for Tanzania: Identification, Propagation and Management for
Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International Development
Authority (SIDA).
Noad T, Birnie A. 1989. Trees of Kenya. General Printers, Nairobi.
Palmer E, Pitman N. 1972. Trees of Southern Africa Vol. 2. A.A. BalKema Cape Town.
Storrs AEG. 1995. Know your trees: some common trees found in Zambia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU).
Venter F, Venter J-A. 1996. Making the most of Indigenous trees. Briza Publications.

SUGGESTED CITATION
Orwa C, Mutua A , Kindt R , Jamnadass R, Simons A. 2009. Agroforestree Database:a tree reference and selection guide
version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/af/treedb/)

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