Kampala Tree and Palm Directory

Tree Species
Common Name
Tree Description
Tree Uses

English: Newtonia, East African newtonia, forest newtonia Luganda: Mpewere Rukiga: Mukungu Runyankore: Mutole, mutoyo Rutoro: Muchenche.

+ Tree Species

Newtonia buchananii

+ Tree Family

Mimosaceae

+ Ecology

East African newtonia occurs from Nigeria east to Kenya, and south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. A large spreading tree of lowland and upland rain forest, riverine and swamp forest. It is widespread as far south as South Africa at altitudes of 600-2,000 m and in Uganda it is abundant in the Impenetrable (Bwindi) Forest. In Kampala, this tree can be found at Uganda Golf Course Club among other places.

+ Description

A tall deciduous tree to 40 m with fine feathery leaves; rather flat topped. In forest valleys the tree can have a clear trunk.

BARK: smooth, light grey, large trees with strongly fluted buttresses.

LEAVES: bi-pinnate like Acacia, the leaflets very numerous, tiny and light green when young. The leaf stalk has tiny glands between the opposite pinnae. Branch-lets have rust-brown hairs.

FLOWERS: clusters of erect cream spikes to 18 cm, fading brown.

FRUIT: thin brown pods 15-30 cm, splitting open on one side only to set free distinctive red-brown seed to 7 cm with a wing all round. Seeds lie longitudinally in the pod (unlike Piptadeniastrum).

+ Uses

Medicine: Bark. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=Newtonia+buchananii

Agroforestry: can be planted as a shade tree in coffee, tea and cocoa plantations; the crown gives a rather light shade, planted along rivers in order to stabilize the banks, leaves are used as mulch, flowers are a good source of nectar and pollen for bees.

A yellow-brown resin exudes from the bark when cut.

The wood is used for tool handles, implements, carpentry, joinery, cabinet work, doors, door frames, bridges, boat building, vehicle bodies and fencing. It is suitable for light construction, flooring, interior trim, boxes, crates, veneer and plywood. It is used traditionally to make dugout canoes.

The wood is a good quality fuel and is used for charcoal production.

+ Propagation

Seeds, root suckers.

+ Management

It is a fairly fast-growing tree once established, but needs care during the establishment phase.

+ Remarks

The brown-to-red-brown heartwood is durable in water and is used for canoes on Lake Victoria. The tree resembles Piptadeniastrum africana, but Newtonia bark exudes yellow-brown resin when cut. Also the pinnae are opposite and marked with a gland at the meeting point on the leaf stalk.



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