Marula
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The Marula (Sclerocarrya birrea) is a medium-sized dioecious tree, indigenous to the miombo woodlands of Southern Africa and the Sudano-Sahelian range of West Africa. The tree is a single stemmed tree with a wide spreading crown. It is characterised by a grey mottled bark. The tree grows up to 18m tall mostly in low altitudes and open woodlands. The fruits are used in the liqueur Amarula. The trees are not cultivated; the fruits are harvested from wild trees.
Fruit_birrea.jpg
When ripe, the fruits have a light yellow skin, with white flesh, rich in vitamin C, around a large stone. They are said to be succulent and tart when eaten.
Common names: maroela (Afrikaans), Boran (Kenya) - didissa ; English - jelly plum, cat thorn, morula, cider tree, marula, maroola nut/plum; Hausa - dania; Kamba (Kenya) - muua; Kwangali - ufuongo; Lovedu - marula; Maasai (Kenya) - ol-mangwai; Meru (Kenya) - mura; Ndebele - iganu, ikanyi, umganu, umkano; Pedi [fruits] - lerula, marula; Pedi [tree] - morula, merula; Pokot (Kenya) - oruluo; Portuguese (Mozambique) - canhoeiro; Ronga (Mozambique) - ncanhi; Sebei (Kenya) - katetalum; Shangaan - nkanyi, inkanyi; Shona - mutsomo, mukwakwa, mushomo, muganu, mupfura; Shona [fruits] - pfura; Shona [tree] - mufura, mafuna, marula; Swahili, Diga (Kenya) - mngongo; Swati - umganu; Swazi - umganu; Tonga - tsua, tsula, umganu; Tswana - morula; Tugen (Kenya) - tololokwo; Zulu [fruits]- amaganu, [seeds] - umganu, [tree] - umganu.
Uses
- The seed kernels are high in protein and fat and constitute an important emergency food.
- Fruits are commonly eaten fresh or used to prepare juices and alcoholic drinks.
- Marula oil, made from the seed kernel, is one of Africa’s greatest skin care oils. It is rich in antioxidants and oleic acid.
- The bark is used both as treatment and a prophylactic for malaria. The bark of the male or female tree is also used in regulating the sex of an unborn child. Gums exudates from the stem are mixed with water and soot to make ink by certain tribes in the region.
- The bark also yields a red-brown dye used in colouring traditional craft ware. The leaves are chewed upon to help indigestion and to treat heartburn.
- The fruit infusion is used to bathe tick-infested livestock. The fruit is regarded as a potent insecticide.
- The marula fruit is also eaten by various animals in Southern Africa. In the movie, Animals are Beautiful People by Jamie Uys, released in 1974, some scenes were shown where elephants, warthogs and monkeys got drunk from eating fermented marula fruit. Later research showed that these scenes were improbable and, in all probability, staged. Elephants would need a huge amount of fermented marulas to have any effect on them, and other animals prefer the ripe fruit. The amount of water drunk by elephants each day would also dilute the effect of the fruit to such an extent that they would not be affected by it.