Boscia senegalensis
Boscia senegalensis
Safety & Hazards
The seed is poisonous and has to be carefully leached in order to remove the toxic principle prior to consumption[1].
Cultivation Details
A plant of the arid tropics and subtropics where it can be found at elevations up to 1,450 metres[2]. This plant's endurance is remarkable. It tolerates shade temperatures as high as 45°c, a level not rare in its habitat; it also survives in areas receiving as little as 100mm annual rainfall, although it grows best where there is at least 250 - 500mm[3]. Requires a sunny position. Prefers sandy-clayey soils, fixed dunes, abandoned croplands and termite mounds[4]. Succeeds even in very dry, poor, sandy, rocky, worn-out laterite, or clay soils[3, 4]. Contributing to the plant's built-in drought tolerance is its remarkable leaf structure: the cuticle is up to 20 microns thick, the stomata are sunk in deep cavities, and each stomata has thickened walls and a protective armouring of papillae[3]. The flowers provide bee forage, often in areas where little else capable of sustaining honeybees is available[3]. Although the fruit is a seasonal food, its season differs from the norm and comes at the beginning of the rains, a time when farm crops are just being planted and anything to eat is usually difficult to find[3].
Propagation
Seed - Although the seeds germinate readily, the seedlings have so far proved difficult to transplant from nursery to field. Thus, it is recommended that direct-seeding trials be established to find out how to establish healthy populations in situ[3] There are claims that root and shoot cuttings have been used to propagate aizen[3]. This could be a vital lead because with them superior plants can be replicated[3]. The possibility of grafting should be explored, because it would allow elite aizen types to be grafted onto the wild trees now so prevalent and widespread. That in turn would ensure rapid quality-fruit production. Also, it would provide lasting benefits because of the rootstock’s obvious adaptability to the site[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Boscia+senegalensis>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Potential of Australian Acacias in combating hunger in semi-arid lands — Rinaudo A.; Patel P.; Thomson L.A.J. · 2002 ↩︎
- [2]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
- [3]Lost Crops of Africa. Vol. 3 Fruits. — National Academy Press · 2008 · ISBN 030910596X ↩︎Masses of information on about 70 species of plants that have been utilized as fruits in Africa.
- [4]Trees and Shrubs of the Sahel. Their Characteristics and Uses. — von Maydell H. · Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit; Germany · 1990 · ISBN 3-8236-1198-4 ↩︎A well-researched book, usually with more than one photograph of each species and good information on the plant and its uses.
- [5]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.