Beckmannia syzigachne

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Authority (Steudel) Fern. Family Liliopsida:Commelinidae:Cyperales:Gramineae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 3674

Notes
DESCRIPTION: It is a light green coloured, robust, smooth, sometimes stoloniferous grass reaching 50-100 cm in height. Culms are erect and hollow. The leaves are 0.5-1 cm wide and quite weak. GROWING PERIOD: Annual or perennial. It is a warm season grass beginning growth in early May and flowering from early July to August. USE: Used for pasture but can also become a noxious weed. It is palatable to cattle and horses in early spring and until seed setting. Crude protein is about 14% in early June, dropping to less than 5% by mid-August. COMMON NAMES: Sloughgrass, American sloughgrass. FURTHER INF: It is native of wet land prairies in North America and is commonly found in low ground such as sloughs, marshes, ditches, and edges of ponds and lakes. Also found on disturbed areas and along roads. It prefers a clay soil with a shallow organic layer, occasionally found in standing water.
Sources
SOURCES (B. syzigachne Steud.) Fern.) Roecklein J 1987 pp 180 [USE, DRA] Duke J 1979 pp 94 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Aronson J 1989 pp 68 [SAL] Duke J 1975 pp 8 [PH, RAIN, TEMP]

Beckmannia eruciformis

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Authority (L.) Host Family Liliopsida:Commelinidae:Cyperales:Gramineae Synonyms Phalaris eruciformis (L.) Common names slough grass, American slough grass, American sloughgrass Editor Ecocrop code 3673

Notes
DESCRIPTION: It is a perennial or annual grass reaching 1-1.5 m in height in shallow water but is smaller on land. USE: The seed is edible, it has a mild flavour and can be ground into flour and used as a cereal. The seed is very small but is easily harvested. It does then have to be separated from its husk, which is a very fiddly operation. The plant is used for making bedding and pillows. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial or annual. COMMON NAMES: Slough grass, American slough grass. FURTHER INF: It grows in wet soils, meadows, swamps, marshes and very shallow water. It requires moist or wet soil and can grow in shallow water also if it is quite saline. It is not very particular to soil type and can grow in both fine and medium textured soils. It can be found in southern and eastern Europe to central Asia and in western and northern United States from California to Alaska.
Sources
http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/plant_attribute.cgi?symbol=BESY http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Beckmannia+eruciformis&CAN=LATIND

Bauhinia variegata

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Authority L. Family Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae Synonyms Phanera variegata Benth., Bauhinia variegata L., Bauhinia candida Ait Common names orchid tree, bauhinia, camels foot, mountain-ebony, poor man’s orchid, rakta-kanchan, kachnar, kotidaram, flamboyán orquídea, palo de orquídeas, segapumanchorii Editor Ecocrop code 508

Notes
DESCRIPTION: It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree with a short bole and spreading crown, attaining a height of up to 15 m and diameter of 50 cm. In dry, miscellaneous forests, the size is much smaller. The bark is light brownish grey, smooth to slightly fissured and scaly. Leaves often broader than long, 6-16 cm diameter. USE: The leaves, flowers and flower buds are eaten as vegetables. Leaves make good fodder. The wood is used as fuel and the bark render fibre, tannin and gum. The seeds yield a fatty oil. The bark decoction is used for diarrhoea control, as an astringent alternative and for treating scrofula, skin diseases and ulcers. The showy fragrant, pink, purple or white flowers make the tree attractive for an ornamental and for avenue plantings. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: orchid tree. FURTHER INF: It is a plant of tropical and subtropical climates with hot, dry summers and mild winters. It demands plenty of light and requires good drainage. Severe frost kills the leaves of seedlings and saplings, but they recover during summer. The tree is fairly resistant to drought but susceptible to fires. It is capable of growing on a wide range of soils from gravelly, shallow, rocky soil on hill slopes to sandy loam and loamy soil in the valley.
Sources
SOURCE: ICRAF Agroforestree Database

Bauhinia tomentosa

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Authority L. Family Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae Synonyms Bauhinia pubescens DC. Common names yellow tree bauhinia, hairy bauhinia, bosbeesklou, isiThibathibana Editor Ecocrop code 3670

Notes
DESCRIPTION: It is usually a rambling, many-stemmed shrub or small tree reaching 4-8 m in height, the branches often drooping. Bark grey and smooth. Leaves deeply divided for almost half their length, with a small apical appendage between the lobes; each lobe is oval to almost elliptic, most often small about 2.5 x 2.5 cm, but may be up to 8 cm, pale fresh green. Flowers bell-shaped, up to 7 cm long, beautiful and distinctive. USE: Leaves are used to manufacture a yellow dye. The dried leaf, flower bud, seed and bark are used medicinally. Th root bark is used internally for conditions of the large intestine, while the flower is used as a remedy for dysentery and diarrhoea. The fruit is said to be diuretic, and the seed is eaten in India as a tonic and aphrodisiac. A decoction of the root bark is used as a vermifuge, and an infusion made from the stem bark is used as an astringent gargle. An infusion of the root bark is used as an external application to inflamed glands, abscesses and skin conditions, while the fruit is said to be diuretic and an infusion of the rind is used as an astringent gargle. It makes a good hedge plant and a non aggressive ornamnetal. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: bell bauhinia, hairy bauhunia, orchid tree, St. Thomas tree, yellow tree bauhinia (English). FURTHER INF: It can be found from South Africa, northwards to tropical Africa and Ethiopia and eastwards to Sri Lanka and India. In South Africa, it grows in forest, bushland and the coastal dune bush. It also occurs in low-altitude woodland, often forming part of the riverine thickets, and on the forest edges. In Zambia, it grows in thickets and on stream banks and rocky slopes of the central and southern provinces and the Luangwa Valley. Trees grow in the shade or in full sun, can withstand light frost and are somewhat drought hardy.
Sources
SOURCE: ICRAF Agroforestree Database.

Bauhinia thonningii

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Authority Schum. Family Leguminosae Synonyms Common names Abuklameira Editor Ecocrop code 376616

Notes
Sources
Grassland Index

Bauhinia rufescens

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Authority Family Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 3669

Notes
DESCRIPTION: It is shrub or small tree usually 1-3 m high but may reach up to 8 m. It is deciduous in drier areas and evergreen in wetter regions. USE: The fruits are eaten. The green and dried fruit and the leaves and shoots are valuable forage. The wood is used as firewood and charcoal. The timber for carpentry, joinery and wood-carving. Fibre and tannin is extracted from the bark. Roots, leaves, bark, roots, stem and fruits have medicinal properties. The tree can be planted on dunes and help stabilize and control them. It is grown as an ornamental and is suitable for roadsides, and it may easily be grown indoors provided the conditions are warm and brightly lit. It provides a good, impenetrable, browse-resistant live fence, useful for protecting gardens, fields and compounds. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: kharoub, kulkul (Arabic), nammare (Fula), jiga, jirga, matsagi (Hausa), randa (Wolof). FURTHER INF: It is often found in dry savannah, especially near stream banks. It is found in the entire Sahel and adjacent Sudan zone, from Senegal and Mauritania across North Ghana and Niger to central Sudan and Ethiopia.
Sources
Grassland Index ICRAF Agroforestree Database.

Bauhinia petersiana

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Authority Bolle Family Leguminosae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 3664

Notes
Sources
Grassland Index

Bauhinia racemosa

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Authority Lamk. Family Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae Synonyms Bauhinia parviflora Vahl, Piliostigma racemosa (Lamk.) Benth. Common names Editor Ecocrop code 3666

Notes
SOURCES Troup R 1921 pp 376-380 [USE, LIG, DRA, TEMP, RAIN, LIG] KILLING T It is to some extent affected by frost, but has good power of recovery. GROWING PERIOD Perennial deciduous tree. COMMON NAMES Bauninia, Jhinjeri, Jhanjhora, Makuna, Apta, Banne, Vattatthi, Ari, Palan. FURTHER INF In the Himalayan, it can be found at elevations up to 1650 m.
Sources

Bauhinia esculenta

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Authority L. Family Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 3659

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A woody vine or shrub. USES The fruits pods can be eater, but are uaually pounded and boiled to make a beverage popular in South Africa. GROWING PERIOD Perennial, growing 90-180 days per year. COMMON NAMES Camel’s foot, Gemsbok bean. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: B. burkeana. Camel’s foot is native of southern tropical Africa. It can be grown at altitudes up to 1000 m.
Sources
SOURCES Duke J 1981 pp 27-28 [TEXT, DRA, RAIN, TEMP, PH] Roecklein J 1987 pp 12 [USE] Duke J 1975 pp 8 [PH, RAIN, TEMP]

Bassia latifolia

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Authority Roxb. Family Magnoliopsida:Caryophyllidae:Caryophyllales:Chenopodiaceae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 3655

Notes
SOURCES Troup R 1921 pp 640-645 [USE, TEXT, DRA, FER, TEMP, RAIN, LIG] KILLING T Seedlings will not tolerate frost, but mature trees are frost-hardy. GROWING PERIOD Perennial deciduous tree. COMMON NAMES Kat illipi, Ippi, Mohwa. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: B. villosa. Used as an agroforestry species in India. (pH estimated by the compiler).
Sources

Basella rubra

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Authority L. Family Magnoliopsida:Caryophyllidae:Caryophyllales:Basellaceae Synonyms Common names Malabar spinach, red stem Malabar spinach, Ceylon spinach, Indian spinach, red vine spinach, vine spinach, Malabar nightshade, Malabarspinat Editor Ecocrop code 505

Notes
Sources

Basella alba

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Authority L. Family Magnoliopsida:Caryophyllidae:Caryophyllales:Basellaceae Synonyms Basella cordifolia Common names Malabar spinach, white stem Malabar spinach, Ceylon spinach, Indian spinach, white vine spinach, vine spinach, Malabar nightshade, country spinach, bertalha vermelha, Malabarspinat, basela branca, bertalha branca, basela vermelha, melao de soldado, sabao de soldado Editor Ecocrop code 504

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A coarse, trailing or twining vine with short-petioled, cordate, and succulent leaves. It has black berries. USES Boiled as a green vegetable. The berries are dried, the pulp ground and used as food coloring. GROWING PERIOD Short-lived perennial. Harvest period 55-180 days after transplanting. COMMON NAMES Basella, Indian spinach, Ceylon spinach, Cambian spinach, Vine spinach, Malabar nightshade, Malabar spinach, Baselle, Brede de malebar, Espinaca, Espinaca de celilan, Malabarspinat, Poi, Alugbati, Grana, Remayong, Gendola, Bretana, Libato, Acelca trepadora, Hung tang, Tsoi, Shaan tsoi, Genjerot, Jingga, Tsuru murasaki, Remayong, Niviti, Pasali, Pak prang. FURTHER INF Scientific synonyms: B. cordifolia. Basella are best grown on trellises, but can be trained as a bush. Growth is likely to be limited at altitudes greater than 500 m. Photosynthesis pathway C4. Flowering does not occur in daylengths longer than 13 hours. May yield about 50 t/ha.
Sources
SOURCES (B. alba L.) Tindall H 1983 pp 67-70 [TEXT, FER, TEMP, RAIN, PHO, IIG] Roecklein J 1987 pp 493 [USE] Duke J 1975 pp 8 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Hackett C 1982 pp 16 [FER, PHO, DEP, PH, TEXT, TEMP] Rice R 1990 pp 225-227 [TEXT, DRA, FER, TEMP, RAIN] Martin F 1984 pp 146-148 [TEMP, RAIN, PHO, DRA, FER, USE]

Barringtonia racemosa

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Authority Family Magnoliopsida:Dilleniidae:Lecythidales:Lecythidaceae Synonyms Barringtonia insignis Miq., Barringtonia pallida (Miers) Koord. & Valeton, Barringtonia salomonensis Rech. Common names poeierkwasboom, kye-bin, kyi, brack-water mangrove, common putat, freshwater mangrove, hippo apple, powder-puff tree, wild guava, apalang, butan darat, penggung, putat sungai, som pawng, putat ayam, putat ayer, putat aying, putat kampong, chik ban, chik suan, mangrove Editor Ecocrop code 501

Notes
DESCRIPTION: It is usually a small tree, 4-8 m in height but occasionally reaching 15 m. Bark grey, yellow or brown, mottled, rather smooth to fissured. Leaves alternate, simple, crowded at the ends of the branches, large, obovate-oblong to oblanceolate, 8-35 x 4-13 cm. USE: Young leaves are eaten as a vegetable; seeds are pounded to extract the starchy content, which is made into cakes. The tree provides firewood, fibre and tannin and can be grown as an ornamental. The fruit, bark, wood and root can be used as fish poison, insecticide and are also poisonous to people. Root, bark and juice are used medicinally. The fruit is used to treat cough, asthma and diarrhoea. Seeds are used to treat eye inflammation and by midwives for parturition. In Malaysia, the leaves traditionally are used to treat high blood pressure and as a depurative. Pounded leaves are said to treat chicken pox. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: freshwater mangrove. FURTHER INF: It is considered a mangrove associate but can also be found in tropical rainforest areas, open lowlands and thickets. Occurring always near water: along riverbanks and in freshwater swamps, and occasionally in the less saline areas of mangrove swamps. The species cannot tolerate even light frost. It favours the wet tropical, moist topical and wet subtropical climatic zones.
Sources
SOURCE: ICRAF Agroforestree Database

Baphia nitida

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Authority Lodd. Family Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae Synonyms Common names barwood, camwood, African sandalwood, baru Editor Ecocrop code 3635

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION An attractive shrub or small tree up to 2.5-10 m tall. USES It is commonly planted as an ornamental and hedge plant. A dye is extracted from the dark red heart of the tree and used for dyeing cotton and wool red, the heartwood also have medicinal properties. The timber is used for house posts, rafters and turnery, and the leaves are used as fodder. GROWING PERIOD Perennial shrub. COMMON NAMES Camwood, Barwood. FURTHER INF Scientific synonyms: B. haematoxylon, Carpolobia versicolor, Podalyria haemtatoxylon. Camwood is native of tropical West Africa.
Sources
Grassland Index Roecklein J 1987 pp 48 [USE] Duke J 1975 pp 8 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Duke J 1981 pp 26-27 [FER, DRA, LIG, RAIN, TEMP, PH] Lemmens R 1991 pp 132 [USE]

Banksia integrifolia

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Authority L. f Family Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Proteales:Proteaceae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 3632

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A shrub, 5 m or a small to medium sized tree up to 16 m in height, and 50 cm in diameter. The trunk is often twisted and the braches crooked. The form is often caused by the wind. USES It is suitable for seaside windbreak plantings and can be used to stabilise sand dunes, after initial fixation by other species, and as an ornamental. The wood can be used for small cabinet work. The flowers is a source of honey. GROWING PERIOD Perennial. COMMON NAMES White honysuckle, Coast banksia, Honeysuckle oak. FURTHER INF In Australia, white honysuckle occurs naturally within the latitudinal range of 16-40°S at altitudes between sea level and 1700 m. The tree is resisrant to salty winds. It can be found on coastal cliffs and headlands, river estuaries, and consolidated sand dunes.
Sources
SOURCES (Banksia integrifolia L. f.) Boland D 1984 pp 596-598 [TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, DRA, TEXT, FER, DEP, USE] Turnbull J 1986 pp 232-233 [TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, TEXT, PH, FER, USE]