Kumukhubwe… Fleshy-Sweet-Sour (strychnos spinosa)

Natural habitat and distribution in bungoma: Habitat: wooded grassland. Distribution: rare species in woodland and wooded grassland, also found in rocky places.

Sweet and Sour

Description: Bark grey-brown, roughish. Branches with pairs of short spines, curved or straight. Leaves glossy green above, paler green below, leathery elliptic, 3-5 veined form the base. Flower small, greenish, densely crowded on short lateral twigs. Fruit glossy green when young, dark yellow when mature, spherical about 10-12 cm in  diameter, hard shelled, edible.

Physical features: shape: small tree, multi-stemmed, up to 10m high. Crown: extensive, rounded. Foliage: semi-deciduous.

Biological features: Tree/crop association: the tree is left in cultivated land and is non-competitive to crops. Biomass production: slow-growing.

Other characteristics: drought resistant,  the seeds are poisonous. Reproduction: seeds, root suckers.

Management: lopping, coppicing.

Ecological benefit: diversity aspect.

Tree product and use: fuelwood, charcoal, small timber for furniture, fodder for game, posts, fruit.

Medicinal application: Bark: Mental illness. Roots: laryngitis. Bark/root: sipwakuli.