(Mombasa Cycad)
Family: Zamiaceae
KWS: – Mkwanga, Msapo
GIR: – Kitsapu/Kirori
Monkeys, rodents and birds eat the seed. Evergreen cycad can grow to 6m tall. Grows in full sun or shade. Easily propogated from seed.
The stem is used medicinally.
Rated as Near Threatened (NT) according to IUCN Red List criteria.
Available at nurseries.
Possibly host to Geometridae (Geometer) moths.
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Ximeniaceae (Previously Olacaceae)
Checklist of Coastal Forests lists 1 Genus, 2 species
Ximenia americana var. caffra
Family: Sapindaceae
GIR: Mndalamwaka
Small tree or shrub. Cream flowers and yellow berries.
Propagate from seed.
The flowers attract hordes of insects including; moths, butterflies, bees, wasps, ants and beetles. Monkeys and birds eat the fruit. Charaxes butterflies eat the rotting fruit (needs confirming). The fruit is edible. The plant roots are medicinal.
Deinbollia hosts:
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The Checklist of Coastal Forests lists 10 Genera, 15 Species
I am growing
Family: Rhamnaceae
ENG: Buffalo thorn.
KSW: Mkunazi
GIR: Mguguna
Shrub to small tree. Fruit is edible to humans. Has self seeded .
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Family: Moraceae
GIR: Mugandi
A fine fig growing to 25 m along the coastal strip. Trunk fluted at base, bark grey. Often has aerial roots. Fruit green with whitish warts, attracting birds, bats and monkeys. Reasonably fast-growing.
Larval food to:
Available -Kivukoni Indigenous Tree Nursery
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Coastal Forest Checklist lists 30 Genera, 117 Species
I have growing:
Family: Icacinaceae
Swahili: Ria
Climber with large tuberous rootstock.
Self seeded.
The large tubers form the major food resource for the naked mole-rat. The foraging tunnels often run completely through the larger tubers, which are periodically plugged with soil and allowed to regenerate. However, the tubers are randomly distributed and the inter-tuber distances can be relatively high, making them hard to find. (Source : Life of Succulents)
Soaked leaves are placed on the ground against jiggers; leaves used against boils and rushes.
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(Previous Name Acacia Robusta)
Family: Fabaceae, Leguminosae – Mimosaceae
KWS: Mgunga
Gir: Mtsemeri/Mgunga
Self seeded. This is a small to medium, upright, deciduous thorn tree consisting of a narrow crown. Up
to 10m. Creamy pompom flowers. The strongly scented flowers attract bees and butterflies, and many other insects. The seed pods are eaten by herbivores and monkeys. Vachelia roots are nitrogen fixing making it suitable for underplanting. Larval host to many butterflies.
The roots and stem bark as medicines for chest pains, colds and coughs.
Available: Kivukoni Indigenous Tree Nursery.
Valchellia may be host to the below butterflies (refer Valchellia Butterflies):
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(Previously Acacia Nilotica)
Family: Fabaceae, Leguminosae – Mimosaceae
ENG: Gum Arabic Tree /Egyptian Acacia
KWS: Mgunga
GIR: Muoti
Tree 5 to 20M. Self seeded.
This is the ancient Egyptian tree of life and the Acacia is derived from Greek.
Flowers are visited by bees and butterflies. Bush babies eat the gum. I wake up to a cacaphony of birds sitting in the tree. The leaves are larval host to azanus species of butterly.
The roots and stem bark are uses as medicines for coughs
Available – Kivukoni Indigenous Tree Nursery.
Valchellia may be host to the below butterflies (refer Valchellia Butterflies):
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