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Marula
Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra
- They are a deciduous tree growing upto 18m tall.
- They grow on various types of woodlands on sandy
loam soils.
- They can be found from Ethiopia to Kwazulu-Natal.
- They produce flowers from September to November
and bear fruit from January to March.
- The fruits are edible and very high in vitamin
C.
- Warthog, elephant, Waterbuck, giraffe and kudu
all eat the fruit and leaves of the tree.
- A medicine made from the bark is used as treatment
for malaria.
- The bark can be used to treat caterpillar stings
and insect bites.
- The kernels of the seed are very high in protein.
The skin of the fruit can be boiled to make a drink or burnt to be used
as a substitute for coffee.
- The wood is soft and used for carving; the inner
bark can be used to make rope.
- Archaeological sites have shown Marula fruit
to be used as a food source since ancient times by Africa's tribes.
- The bark can also be used to make a light brown
dye.
- Large Saturniid Caterpillars are gathered from
this tree for roasting as well as the larvae of the Cerambycid Wood
Boring Beetle.
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