To uproot tree.. pull sharply - Kumukusa (dombeya burgessiae)

Derivation of the name: Khukusa - abrupt, strong pull. One should pull abruptly to uproot the young trees.

Natural habitat and distribution in Bungoma: Habitat: riverine vegetation, open forests, wooded grassland. Distribution: not a common species found along riverine forests and fringes especially in higher altitude, in forest relicts and in thickets not far from water courses.

Description: Bark reddish-brown. Leaves broadly heart-shaped, pubescent on both sides, light green, up to 10 cm broad and 15 cm long, leaf stalk up to 12 cm long, veins prominent below, radiating from the leaf base. Flower white, sometimes pale pink, fragrant, 1.5-4cm in diameter, in long stalked umbels. Fruit a small capsule, hairy within the persistent flower.

Physical features: Shape: understory shrub, rarely a small tree up to 6m high. Crown rounded. Foliage: Dense, ( semi-) deciduous.

Biological Features: Mulch: the tree is said to provide very good mulch, although the leaves decompose rather fast. Tree/Crop Association: the tree is compatible with crops if shading effect is reduced: the tree is found in cultivated fields of higher altitude areas. Biomass Production: fast-growing. Other characteristics: the bark is fibrous.  Reproduction: seeds.

Management: lopping, pollarding.

Ecological benefit: soil conservation, soil improvement, diversification of afforested river banks. Medicinal Application: Root: malaria,  cold venereal disease, measles.

Related Species: ( Dombeya rotundifolia ) Less common, occurring in wooded grassland and forest edges. The tree can be distinguished by its deeply lobed cordate leaf base, the leaves being sandpapery above, the bark is rough and longitudinally fissured.