By Liliana Usvat
Blog 319-365
Some farmers are adding trees as ‘dispersed shade’ to their Conservation Agriculture. The trees’ light shade reduces the excessive midday heat that decreases crop productivity in the lowland tropics. Trees are also extremely drought resistant because of their deep root systems; the fertilizing leaves are out of reach of free-grazing animals; trees preserve moisture in the soil through lowered soil surface temperatures and reduced wind velocity; and they can provide firewood and fodder. Furthermore, as climate change occurs, farmers can merely cut fewer branches off their trees, so the crops underneath will continue to enjoy optimum ambient temperatures. Two important species from tropical America and dryland Africa, respectively, are Gliricidia sepium and Faidherbia albida.
Gliricidia sepium
Other Names
Gliricidia sepium is a medium-sized tree and can grow to from 10 to 12 meters high. The bark is smooth and its color can range from a whitish gray to deep red-brown. It has composite leaves that can be 30 cm long. Each leaf is composed of leaflets that are about 2 to 7 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide. The flowers are located on the end of branches that have no leaves. These flowers have a bright pink to lilac color that is tinged with white.
A pale yellow spot is usually at the flower's base. The tree's fruit is a pod which is about 10 to 15 cm in length. It is green when unripe and becomes yellow-brown when it reaches maturity. The pod produces 4 to 10 round brown seeds . The tree grows well in acidic soils with a pH of 4.5-6.2. The tree is found on volcanic soils in its native range in Central America and Mexico. However, it can also grow on sandy, clay and limestone soils.
Medicinal Uses
In the Philippines, gliricidia is washed and pounded to extract the juice from the leaves. It is then applied to the area affected by external parasites once to twice a day for one week. In Guatemala, the bark and leaves of gliricidia are used to treat human skin diseases.
In another study, gliricidia was found to inhibit the growth of various strains of Neisseria gonorrhoea in in vitro tests. Tinctures made from the leaves were used for these tests.
Some Uses in Humans:
Uses
Gliricidia is used by farmers in some Latin American countries to repel insects. The leaves are ground up and combined with water. The animal is then bathed with the resulting paste. According to some of the farmers, if this is repeated every 7-14 days, the number of torsalo (tropical warble fly) infections is decreased.
Faidherbia Albida
The leaves of the Faidherbia albida tree are rich in nitrogen,
phosphorus and other nutrients. Plants that grow beneath the trees
benefit from their annual leaf fall, which fertilises the soil and
counteracts soil acidity. In Zambia, the Conservation Farming Unit is
encouraging farmers to plant 100 of the trees per hectare, at 10 metre
intervals, as a long term means of boosting soil fertility. Over 160,000
farmers have already begun to do so.
The origin of Faidherbia albida is unclear. It has been postulated that it originated in the Sahara before desertification, but also that it was originally a riverine tree of eastern and southern Africa that was introduced through pastoralism and agriculture into western Africa, where it is only found on cultivated or previously cultivated land. It has long been preserved and protected on croplands by African farmers. However, this practice has become much less common in recent years.
Faidherbia albida occurs all across the African continent, encircling the central African forest massif, from the Atlantic coast (Senegal, Gambia) to the Red Sea (Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia) and from there to South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia and Angola. Its northern limit is not well defined because it occurs along watercourses and in areas where groundwater is present (e.g. in south-western Morocco, mountain massifs in the Sahara, and along the Nile in Egypt).
Elsewhere, Faidherbia albida occurs in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, and has been introduced into Ascension Island, the Cape Verde Islands, Cyprus, India, Pakistan and Peru.
Medicinal Uses Faidherbia albida
Other Uses - Faidherbia albida
The bark is also used for making beehives, for stuffing saddles and in hut construction. Soap is made from the wood ash, which also has depilatory action. Pods can be used as fish bait. Seeds are eaten during famine but require long and elaborate preparation. Faidherbia albida has religious significance amongst some tribes, e.g. as a graveyard tree.
Blog 319-365
Some farmers are adding trees as ‘dispersed shade’ to their Conservation Agriculture. The trees’ light shade reduces the excessive midday heat that decreases crop productivity in the lowland tropics. Trees are also extremely drought resistant because of their deep root systems; the fertilizing leaves are out of reach of free-grazing animals; trees preserve moisture in the soil through lowered soil surface temperatures and reduced wind velocity; and they can provide firewood and fodder. Furthermore, as climate change occurs, farmers can merely cut fewer branches off their trees, so the crops underneath will continue to enjoy optimum ambient temperatures. Two important species from tropical America and dryland Africa, respectively, are Gliricidia sepium and Faidherbia albida.
Gliricidia sepium
Other Names
- Cacao de nance, cacahnanance -- Honduras
- Kakawate -- Philippines
- Mata Raton
- Madre Cacao -- Guatemala
- Madriado -- Honduras
Gliricidia sepium is a medium-sized tree and can grow to from 10 to 12 meters high. The bark is smooth and its color can range from a whitish gray to deep red-brown. It has composite leaves that can be 30 cm long. Each leaf is composed of leaflets that are about 2 to 7 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide. The flowers are located on the end of branches that have no leaves. These flowers have a bright pink to lilac color that is tinged with white.
A pale yellow spot is usually at the flower's base. The tree's fruit is a pod which is about 10 to 15 cm in length. It is green when unripe and becomes yellow-brown when it reaches maturity. The pod produces 4 to 10 round brown seeds . The tree grows well in acidic soils with a pH of 4.5-6.2. The tree is found on volcanic soils in its native range in Central America and Mexico. However, it can also grow on sandy, clay and limestone soils.
Medicinal Uses
In the Philippines, gliricidia is washed and pounded to extract the juice from the leaves. It is then applied to the area affected by external parasites once to twice a day for one week. In Guatemala, the bark and leaves of gliricidia are used to treat human skin diseases.
In another study, gliricidia was found to inhibit the growth of various strains of Neisseria gonorrhoea in in vitro tests. Tinctures made from the leaves were used for these tests.
Some Uses in Humans:
- Briuse
- Burn -- Panama
- Cold, cough -- Curacao
- Debility
- Expectora
- Headache
- nt -- Curacao
- Fatigue
- Fever -- Panama
- Gangrene -- Guatemala
- Gonorrhoea -- Guatemala
- Insecticide
- Insect repellent -- Curacao, Guatemala, and Honduras
- Itch, skin, sores -- Curacao, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama
- Poison (Humans and animals) -- Panama and Venezuela
- Rodenticide (rats) -- Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, El Salvador, Venezuela
- Shade tree (for other crops) -- Sri Lanka
- Sedative -- Curacao
- Tumor -- Guatemala
- Ulcer -- Guatemala
Uses
Gliricidia is used by farmers in some Latin American countries to repel insects. The leaves are ground up and combined with water. The animal is then bathed with the resulting paste. According to some of the farmers, if this is repeated every 7-14 days, the number of torsalo (tropical warble fly) infections is decreased.
Faidherbia Albida
The origin of Faidherbia albida is unclear. It has been postulated that it originated in the Sahara before desertification, but also that it was originally a riverine tree of eastern and southern Africa that was introduced through pastoralism and agriculture into western Africa, where it is only found on cultivated or previously cultivated land. It has long been preserved and protected on croplands by African farmers. However, this practice has become much less common in recent years.
Faidherbia albida occurs all across the African continent, encircling the central African forest massif, from the Atlantic coast (Senegal, Gambia) to the Red Sea (Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia) and from there to South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia and Angola. Its northern limit is not well defined because it occurs along watercourses and in areas where groundwater is present (e.g. in south-western Morocco, mountain massifs in the Sahara, and along the Nile in Egypt).
Elsewhere, Faidherbia albida occurs in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, and has been introduced into Ascension Island, the Cape Verde Islands, Cyprus, India, Pakistan and Peru.
Medicinal Uses Faidherbia albida
- Bark and roots, alone or mixed with other components, are common ingredients of traditional medicinal preparations for external or internal usage. These preparations are prescribed for respiratory infections,
- sterility,
- digestive problems,
- dysentery,
- backache,
- malaria,
- fever,
- heart and circulatory problems,
- dental infections and deafness.
Other Uses - Faidherbia albida
The bark is also used for making beehives, for stuffing saddles and in hut construction. Soap is made from the wood ash, which also has depilatory action. Pods can be used as fish bait. Seeds are eaten during famine but require long and elaborate preparation. Faidherbia albida has religious significance amongst some tribes, e.g. as a graveyard tree.
