Cordeauxia edulis
| Cordeauxia edulis | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Cordeauxia Hemsley |
| Species: | C. edulis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cordeauxia edulis Hemsley |
|
Contents |
Biology [edit]
The common name of Cordeauxia edulis is Yeheb nut. It is an evergreen, multistemmed shrub. It grows up to 4 m. It has a taproot system, which can go 3m deep. The leaves are pinnate, leathery and oval. The flowers are yellow and contains both sexes. The pods includes 1 - 4 round or ovoid seeds, they are by mistake called nuts.[1][2]
Distribution [edit]
Yeheb is native in the arid and semi-arid areas in Somalia and Ethiopia. It is exotic in Israel, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania and in the Republic of Yemen.[1]
Cultivation [edit]
Environmental requirements [edit]
Cordeauxia edulis is a drought resistant plant. For optimal plant development, average temperature and rainfall requiements are 25°C and 250 - 400mm/year. Yeheb can cope with minimal precipitation levels of 150 - 200mm/year. Yeheb grows on soils, which have a low nitrogen content.[1][2][3]
Sowing [edit]
The seeds should be sown on soils where the taproot can develop. The seeds remain only viable for a few months, so it must be sown fresh. It grows slowly in the early stages most likely because of the small proportion in reserve proteins.[1][2]
Yield [edit]
Yeheb produces few fruits in the first three years, but it can live many years. The shrubs are pollinated by insects. There is the possibility of a yield of 5 kg seeds. One seed has a weight of 2 - 3g.[2]
Use [edit]
- Food: Seeds are dried, boiled, roasted or eaten raw.
- Drinks: Tea is made of the leaves.
- Fodder: The shrub is evergreen and thus a good fodder in dry seasons. It is eaten by camels and goats. But the shrubs cannot withstand long-term grazing pressure. in the rainy season it is avoided because of the high content of tannins.
- Fuel: The wood is good firewood, also when wet.
- Poison: Roasting or boiling of freshly picked seeds provide a good insect defeence.
- Industry: The red dye in the leaves can be used for dyeing textiles.[1][2][3]
Nutritional Aspects [edit]
The seeds are rich in sugar and fats. The seeds contains 37% of starch, 24% of sugar, 13% of protein and 11% of fat.[3]
