Trichilia emetica Vahl

Meliaceae
mafura nut

LOCAL NAMES
Afrikaans (basteressenhout,rooi-essenhout); Amharic (mahogani); Arabic
(umshara,um hagi,safsafa); Bemba (mushikishi); Bislama (kota); English
(Natal mahogany,woodland mahogany,christmas bells,red ash,thunder
tree,Cape mahogany); Hausa (jan saiwa); Lozi (musikili); Nyanja (msikizi);
Portuguese (m’chekeri,mafurreia); Somali (gor-mas); Swahili
(mafura,mkungwina,mnwamaji,mtimai,mtimaji,musikili,muwamaji);
Tigrigna (gumeh); Tongan (musikili); Trade name (mafura nut); Tswana
(mosikiri); Yoruba (ashapa); Zulu (iGwolo,uMathunzini,umKhuhlu)
Trichilia emetica slash (Joris de Wolf,
BOTANIC DESCRIPTION Patrick Van Damme, Diego Van
Trichilia emetica is an evergreen tree, usually up to 21 m tall but Meersschaut)
occasionally reaching 30 m, trunk swollen at the base, sometimes
becoming fluted with age. Bark grey-brown or red-brown with fine, shallow
striations and smallish scales. Branches erect or partly spreading,
producing a pyramid-shaped crown when young, oval to rounded and
dense when mature with a diameter sometimes exceeding 15 m. The tree
has a non-aggressive root system.

Leaves up to 50 cm long, unevenly compound with 3-5 pairs of leaflets

plus a terminal one, dark green and glossy above, covered with short
brownish hairs below, margins entire, veins prominent on lower surface.
Trichilia emetica foliage (Joris de Wolf,
Patrick Van Damme, Diego Van
Flowers creamy to pale yellow-green, produced on short, congested Meersschaut)
axillary panicles, fragrant, with 5 thick petals, about 2 cm, surrounding a
hairy centre of stamens.

Fruit rounded, furry, red-brown capsules to 3 cm across, split into 3 or 4

parts to reveal 3-6 shiny black seeds 14-18 mm in length, each with a
fleshy scarlet or orange-red aril almost covering the seed. A clear neck to
1 cm long connects the capsule to the fruit stalk.

The name ‘Trichilia’ is Greek for ‘in 3 parts’, referring to the 3-lobed fruit,
and ‘emetica’ means with emetic properties.
(Joris de Wolf, Patrick Van Damme, Diego
BIOLOGY Van Meersschaut)
Seeds are too heavy to be spread by wind, and they fall to the ground; no
animal or bird is known to disperse them. In South Africa, flowering occurs
from August to November and fruiting from December to April.

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Trichilia emetica Vahl
Meliaceae
mafura nut

ECOLOGY
T. emetica is locally frequent in riparian forest and in some types of munga woodland, and can be found occasionally in
swamp forest, montane forest, savannah or alluvial lowland rainforest and escarpment miombo. It is regarded as an
indicator of areas with palatable grass species. It grows naturally through sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to the Red
Sea, throughout East and Central Africa to Congo and South Africa.

BIOPHYSICAL LIMITS
Altitude: 0-1300 m, Mean annual temperature: 19-31 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 600-2300 mm

Soil type: Prefers well-drained, rich alluvial or sandy soil and a high water table.

DOCUMENTED SPECIES DISTRIBUTION

Native: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi,
Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania,
Uganda, Yemen, Republic of, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Exotic:

Native range

Exotic range

The map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does neither
suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological zone within that country,
nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. Since
some tree species are invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to
your planting site.

Agroforestry Database 4.0 (Orwa et al.2009) Page 2 of 5

 The map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does neither
suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological zone within that country,
nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. Since
Trichilia emetica Vahl
some tree species are invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to
your planting site. Meliaceae
mafura nut

PRODUCTS
Food: A sweet, milky, potable liquid is extracted from the arils. The skinned seeds are also edible and are eaten raw or
soaked in water and ground, the resultant liquid mixed with spinach dishes.

Fodder: Domestic animals feed on its leaves.

Apiculture: The tree is occasionally used for bee forage. Sunbirds visit the nectar-rich flowers.

Fuel: A fuelwood species, T. emetica is commonly used for firewood.

Timber: Wood is soft yet firm and works well. There is no real distinction between sapwood and heartwood, usually
pinkish in colour and light (560-597 kg/m³), vulnerable to borers and should be treated accordingly. The wood produces
beautiful furniture, which darkens with the application of furniture oil. It is also good quality for shelving, and is popular
for carvings, musical instruments and various household articles. Trees with long, straight trunks are cut and used for
dugout canoes. Owing to its flexibility and good turning properties, it is also good for tool handles and spears.

Lipids: Trichilia oil produces a good finish on wood surfaces and could compete successfully with other commercial
wood oils. The seed contains high oil concentrations as most oil-rich dicotyledonous seeds. Fresh seed yield
approximately 64.7 ml oil/kg, using a simple ram press (yield from the whole seed is 58-68%, the seed coat contains 14-
51%, and the kernel 68% oil).

Wax: Seed oil (mafurra or mafurreira tallow) is used for candle making.

Poison: The seed coat is extremely poisonous.

Medicine: The leaves can be used as an antidote for the irritation caused by the buffalo bean, whilst the bark is used in
the treatment of skin complaints. Pieces of bark or powdered bark are soaked in warm water and used as an emetic or
enema. Roots and the oil from the seed also have medicinal qualities; a bitter-tasting medicinal oil, obtained by boiling
the ground seed in water, is taken orally to relieve rheumatism.

Other products: The kernels and husks of the nut produce a very good soap-making oil, which is sometimes used as a
cosmetic and can also be used for preserving foodstuffs. For example, in eastern and southern Africa, oil is extracted
on a small industrial scale and used in soap manufacture. The leaves have some soapy properties as well. Seed used
to be exported from Mozambique under the name ‘mafura’ or ‘mafurreira nut’.

SERVICES
Erosion control: Planting T. emetica greatly assists in soil conservation.

Shade or shelter: A worthwhile tree to provide shade and protection for livestock, and an excellent tree for the garden
with its fast growth and wide crown. Widely planted as a windbreak in urban and rural areas.

Soil improver: The pressed seedcake left after oil has been extracted, with an approximate protein content of 16%, is
suitable as a fertilizer.

Ornamental: T. emetica has been widely planted as a street or garden tree. Ideal for car-parking areas as it never grows
very high and has an evergreen, spreading crown.

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Trichilia emetica Vahl
Meliaceae
mafura nut

TREE MANAGEMENT
T. emetica is a fast-growing species; up to 1 m/year in colder areas and 2 m in warmer areas. It should be planted in
groups near water in shade or full sun. Not resistant to frost and is therefore more suited to warmer areas, but can
survive long periods of drought.

GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT
Seed storage behaviour is recalcitrant; seeds are sensitive to desiccation and cannot be stored because they lose
viability within a short time. There are approximately 200-300 seeds/kg.

PESTS AND DISEASES

The pink-grey-brown timber is very susceptible to insect attack. The larvae of the whitebarred charaxes butterfly
(Charaxes brutus natalensis) feed on the leaves of the tree.

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Trichilia emetica Vahl
Meliaceae
mafura nut

FURTHER READNG
Albrecht J. ed. 1993. Tree seed hand book of Kenya. GTZ Forestry Seed Center Muguga, Nairobi, Kenya.
Beentje HJ. 1994. Kenya trees, shrubs and lianas. National Museums of Kenya.
Bein E. 1996. Useful trees and shrubs in Eritrea. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Nairobi, Kenya.
Bekele-Tesemma A, Birnie A, Tengnas B. 1993. Useful trees and shrubs for Ethiopia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit
(RSCU), Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).
Coates-Palgrave K. 1988. Trees of southern Africa. C.S. Struik Publishers Cape Town.
Eggeling. 1940. Indigenous trees of Uganda. Govt. of Uganda.
FAO. 1983. Food and fruit bearing forest species. 1: Examples from Eastern Africa. FAO Forestry Paper. 44/1. Rome.
FAO. 1986. Some medicinal plants of Africa and Latin America. FAO Forestry Paper. 67. Rome.
Friis I. 1992. Forests and forest trees of northeast tropical Africa. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.
Grundy IM, Campbell BM. 1992. Potential production and utilization of oil from Trichilia species (Meliacaea). Economic
Botany. 47(2):148-153.
Hines DA, Eckman K. 1993. Indigenous multipurpose trees for Tanzania: uses and economic benefits to the people.
Cultural survival Canada and Development Services Foundation of Tanzania.
Hong TD, Linington S, Ellis RH. 1996. Seed storage behaviour: a compendium. Handbooks for Genebanks: No. 4.
IPGRI.
ICRAF. 1992. A selection of useful trees and shrubs for Kenya: Notes on their identification, propagation and
management for use by farming and pastoral communities. ICRAF.
Matakala P, Macucule A, Mausse A. 2004. Local knowledge, uses and agroforestry potentials of Mafurra, Trichilia
emetica, Vahl: preliminary report of the study carried out in Inharrime, Zavala e Chidenguele. Nairobi, Kenya: ICRAF.
40p.
Matakala P, Mausse A, Macucule A. 2005. Local indigenous knowledge, uses and agroforestry potential of mafurra,
Trichilia emetica, val. Nairobi, Kenya: World Agroforestry Centre ICRAF. 50p.
Mbuya LP et al. 1994. Useful trees and shrubs for Tanzania: Identification, Propagation and Management for
Agricultural and Pastoral Communities. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU), Swedish International Development
Authority (SIDA).
Msanga HP, Maghembe JA. 1993. Germination of woodland mahogany (Trichilia emetica) following manual scarification
and potassium nitrate treatments. Journal of Tropical Forest Science. 5(4): 518-527.
Noad T, Birnie A. 1989. Trees of Kenya. General Printers, Nairobi.
Palmer E, Pitman N. 1972. Trees of Southern Africa Vol. 2. A.A. BalKema Cape Town.
Storrs AEG. 1995. Know your trees: some common trees found in Zambia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit (RSCU).
Vaughan JG. 1970. The structure and utilization of oil seeds. Chapman and Hall Ltd.
Venter F, Venter J-A. 1996. Making the most of Indigenous trees. Briza Publications.

SUGGESTED CITATION
Orwa C, Mutua A , Kindt R , Jamnadass R, Simons A. 2009. Agroforestree Database:a tree reference and selection guide
version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/af/treedb/)

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