Detarium microcarpum
| Detarium microcarpum | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Detarium |
| Species: | D. microcarpum |
| Binomial name | |
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Detarium microcarpum Guill. & Perr. |
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Detarium microcarpum (Bambara: Ntamajalan), commonly known as sweet detar, sweet dattock or tallow tree, is an under-utilized tree legume that grows naturally in the drier regions of West and Central Africa. It is a multipurpose species, with a wide range of uses due to its medicinal properties, edible fruit (eaten raw, cooked or made into flour with many uses of its own) and hardwood used as fuel-wood. Its many uses make it a valuable and appreciated species to local communities but further research and efforts are needed for its domestication.
D. microcarpum is an African tree belonging to the Fabaceae family (legumes). It is a small tree or shrub growing up to 15 m tall but can reach 25 m in moist areas. In terms of growth rate, the shoots of the trunk can reach a height of 1.5 m – 2 m in 1 to 2 years and are much more vigorous than seedlings which on average grow to 0.6 m after 3 years and may reach 1.5 m in 4 years. It flowers during the rainy season (July to September/November), but the main flowering period only lasts up to 8 days. It bears fruit from September – January/May and in November; the tree sheds its leaves and produces new leaves in March.
D. microcarpum occurs naturally in the drier regions of West and Central Africa (Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Togo). Unlike the other species of its family, D. microcarpum grows in dry savanna, while Detarium senegalense grows in the dry forest, and Detarium macrocarpum grows in humid forest. Many different vernacular names exist for this species, including the English, sweet dattock or tallow tree, and the French, dankh or petit détar, as well as Abu-laili (in Sudan) or Tamba Dala (in Mali).
Propagation of this species may be vegetative or from seed. It is capable of vegetative propagation by coppice regeneration and suckering from stumps or roots, as well as propagation by rooted cuttings and grafting using scions from mature trees. This species is mainly found on shallow, stony and lateritic soils, often on hills, as well as in regions with an annual rainfall of 600–1000 mm. It is most common in wooded savannahs or savannahs, semi-cleared dry forest areas and fallows, growing in sandy or hard soils with high iron content.
The seeds of D. microcarpum can be stored at ambient temperature (26°C) for 5 years. The seed must be scarified to break dormancy before being planted –scarification through immersion in boiling water or sulphuric acid, and next soaking them in tepid water for 24 hours, or by removing the seed coat with a sharp object. The plant parts are harvested according to need and availability. Fruits are harvested from March to May and can be kept for 1–3 years in jute bags. Leaves are harvested from April to November and roots and bark are harvested year round, all of which are used fresh or dried for future use. Natural germination is hampered by bush fires and dry spells posing a threat to poor farmers. Extensive fruit collection, uncontrolled tree cutting, overgrazing and bushfires pose a threat to the species.
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Wikipedia