384:, magnificent specimens of about 18–19 metres are common due to the reliability of heavy rain during the growing season. It favours inland situations at an altitude of around 1000–1400 metres (due to the sharp difference between day and nighttime temperatures), although it grows down to sea level at its southern extremity. The tree presents a series of changes according to the seasons. It starts to lose its leaves as the cool season begins in late May (somewhat sluggishly), and by early August it is bare or nearly so. In late August, as temperatures rise again, the new leaves are produced. These are often bright red in colour, but vary from almost purple to brownish in different individuals. The colour shifts to deep green over a period of 10–20 days. The insignificant flowers appear after the new leaves and these are followed by the
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furniture, sleepers, and construction timber. In parts of southern
Tanzania, the hard wood is highly sought after. It is also used for beehives, boats, and general construction. It is considered an all-purpose wood. Furniture production has increased, since the wood can be artificially dried in kilns, which prevents further drying and twisting of the processed wood.
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minimum of around 500 mm rain, although the amount of rain in the summer growing season is more important than the annual rainfall. It needs a mean annual temperature of around 19 to 20 °C. It does not thrive under a combination of cold and wet conditions, and like many tropical plants it requires a hot dry period before the onset of the growing season.
323:, is a medium-sized African tree having compound leaves and racemes of small fragrant green flowers. The tree is broad and has a distinctive amber and wine red colour when the young leaves sprout during spring (August–September). It grows in savanna, both open woodland and closed woodland of Southern and Eastern Africa, mostly
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The msasa is ecologically dominant over large areas of central Africa where sufficient summer rainfall is received. In many parts of
Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, it is the dominant woodland tree, and its colourful springtime foliage is a striking seasonal marker. It can withstand light frost as long
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tree and grows best in open woodland where there is a sharp distinction between wet and dry seasons. The northern end of its range is near Tabora in
Tanzania (about 5° S) and its southernmost extent is near Quissico on the coast of Mozambique just outside the tropics (about 25° S). Msasas need a
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Just as its appearance varies greatly from place to place, so does its use. While in some regions, where msasa trees do not grow very tall, it is often heavily branched and used mainly as fuel such as charcoal and firewood, in other parts, such as central and northern
Mozambique, it is used for
403:). Further north it is less dominant, but it reaches its greatest size. The msasa develops heavy spreading boughs and a shapely crown and mature specimens are valued in parks and gardens. However, it grows very slowly, so is seldom grown in cultivation.
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has several medicinal applications, including using the roots to treat dysentery and stomach problems. It is an important shade tree. The leaves are known to be a good fodder and would likely provide good mulch. The species is not nitrogen-fixing.
347:. Other common names: mundu, myombo, mtondo (Tanzania), muputu (Zambia). The plant is known in the Venda language as mutsiwa, which means 'the one that is left behind'. An outlying population of
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pods (about 12–15 cm in length) in April. As with many legume species the pods split explosively and the flat seeds (about 2 cm across) are flung some distance from the parent tree.
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Agricultural implements; boxes and crating, cabinet making, carpentry, cart making, flooring (includes parquetry), joinery, scaffholding and sleepers.
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The tree typically reaches a height of about 16 metres, although it is less tall in more drought-prone areas. In central Zambia and eastern
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as little rain falls during the cool season, such as on the
Mashonaland plateau, where it is often co-dominant with the similar mnondo (
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Hardness and interlocked grain makes sawing difficult, tungsten-tipped teeth recommended. Planes to a lustrous finish.
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343:. The word msasa is commonly used as a proper name in African place names. The word also means 'rough plant' in
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Heartwood has high resistance to attack. Sapwood highly vulnerable to attack - not suitable for conversion.
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Tangential: Parebchyma bands curly, wavy, quite well defined. Radial: Striped, interlocked, well defined.
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687:. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Republic of South Africa. 3 May 2013. Archived from
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Only slight distortion if stacked properly and seasoned slowly, some degrade around knots.
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Highly resistant heartwood, sapwood vulnerable - not suitable for conversion.
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mountains of northern South Africa. This tree is a protected species in
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Commercial
Timbers of Mozambique - Technical Catalogue / Jaime Buster
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30:"Msasa" redirects here. For the ward in Tanzania, see
598:"The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species"
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549:Maximum Crushing Strength Parallel to Grain (Mpa)
730:Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014).
744:. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
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557:Maximum Sheer Strength Parallel to Grain (Mpa)
497:Pre boring recommended to prevent splitting.
407:Timber characteristics and working properties
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417:Off white, not suitable for conversion.
87:Learn how and when to remove this message
50:This article includes a list of general
703:Dale, I.R. & Greenway, P.J. (1961)
637:United States Department of Agriculture
628:Germplasm Resources Information Network
14:
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753:
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481:Radial:4.21% Tangenial: 4.05%
541:Modulus of Elasticity (Mpa x 10/3)
425:Uniform red brown, clearly defined
351:has recently been discovered in the
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513:Takes a high gloss varnish finish
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56:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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527:Characteristic strength of Msasa
986:urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:482255-1
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1073:Protected trees of South Africa
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741:African plants – a Photo Guide
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633:Agricultural Research Service
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1078:Taxa named by George Bentham
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710:Coates Palgrave, K. (1997)
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658:"Brachystegia spiciformis"
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712:Trees of Southern Africa,
533:Modulus of Rupture (Mpa)
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121:Scientific classification
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1058:Trees of Southern Africa
793:Brachystegia spiciformis
763:Brachystegia spiciformis
734:Brachystegia spiciformis
621:Brachystegia spiciformis
312:Brachystegia spiciformis
272:Brachystegia spiciformis
105:Brachystegia spiciformis
705:Kenya Trees and Shrubs,
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430:Weight at 12% moisture
400:Julbernardia globiflora
71:more precise citations.
575:In southern Tanzania,
297:Brachystegia mpalensis
486:Sawing and Planning
315:, commonly known as
1063:Flora of Mozambique
254:B. spiciformis
510:Paint and Varnish
1068:Flora of Tanzania
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955:Open Tree of Life
755:Taxon identifiers
714:Struik Publishers
682:"Protected Trees"
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27:Species of legume
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694:on 2010-07-05.
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1048:Brachystegia
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689:the original
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664:. Retrieved
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363:Distribution
357:South Africa
353:Soutpansberg
349:Brachystegia
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241:Brachystegia
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220:Detarioideae
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77:October 2021
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890:iNaturalist
787:Wikispecies
707:p. 97.
666:30 November
642:21 November
603:21 November
230:Amherstieae
216:Subfamily:
164:Angiosperms
69:introducing
1042:Categories
968:Plant List
584:References
478:Shrinkage
470:Seasoning
422:Heartwood
376:Appearance
341:Mozambique
52:references
386:dehiscent
317:zebrawood
248:Species:
134:Kingdom:
1012:13065457
1007:Tropicos
934:68133018
921:10758391
908:482255-1
778:Q3643454
772:Wikidata
438:Texture
414:Sapwood
369:tropical
333:Zimbabwe
325:Tanzania
287:Synonyms
210:Fabaceae
206:Family:
177:Eudicots
973:ild-903
869:2952670
825:Ecocrop
502:Gluing
441:Coarse
392:Ecology
345:Swahili
300:Micheli
236:Genus:
226:Tribe:
200:Fabales
196:Order:
138:Plantae
65:improve
999:240-36
960:774335
947:162690
895:340265
843:703324
801:APDB:
536:107,2
446:Grain
382:Angola
337:Malawi
329:Zambia
279:Benth.
190:Rosids
54:, but
994:SANBI
916:IRMNG
856:BRHSP
804:61775
692:(PDF)
685:(PDF)
661:(PDF)
560:14,4
552:59,1
544:13,6
321:msasa
319:, or
184:Clade
171:Clade
158:Clade
145:Clade
18:Msasa
981:POWO
942:NCBI
929:IUCN
903:IPNI
882:7612
877:GRIN
864:GBIF
851:EPPO
830:3837
817:N25G
668:2014
644:2014
605:2014
567:Uses
433:735
339:and
1020:WFO
838:EoL
812:CoL
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
