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Sterculia setigera
Also called Karaya Gum Tree
Sterculia setigera is a deciduous savanna tree from tropical Africa, valued for the gum (karaya gum) its bark exudes. It grows best in hot, seasonally dry conditions on well-drained, often rocky or gritty soils.
Sterculia setigera is a deciduous tree species within the Malvaceae family. It commonly occurs in the Sahelo-Sudan and Guinea savannah zones of Tropical Africa. Among the Hausa people it is known as Kukkuki and Boɓori among Fulani people of Nigeria. It is an important tree crop in Senegal as Gum karaya obtained from the woody species is exported from the country.
Tests on stem bark extracts of the plant isolated the chemical compound, lupeol and a class of Procyanidin trimers. The sugar properties of the gum obtained from the species consisting of D-galacturonic acid, L-rhamnose, D-galactose is quite similar to those obtained from Sterculia Urens.
Occurs from Senegal eastwards to Sudan and Ethiopia and in Angola, found in the savanna ecological zones, frequently on hill or rocky soils and in shallow gritty soils.
Seeds are eaten by nomadic groups in Northern Nigeria. A wide spread species, it has multi-purpose functions in various local communities. A decoction of stem bark extracts are used as part of an herbal regimen to treat skin ailments and infections, fever, diarrhea and toothache.
Panama tree · Hazel sterculia · Spotted Sterculia · Chinese Chestnut · Sterculia parviflora · Peanut tree · Sterculia rubiginosa · Star Chestnuts
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sterculia setigera by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
