The elegance of the Kenyan croton
WHEN landscaping, waiting for your plants to produce their final outlook brings a lot of joy.
This is especially true for the Kenyan croton tree as you see it growing to a full sized tree. It grows quite fast and is a perfect landscaping tree for any horticulturist.
Scientifically known as croton mergalocarpus, it is a deciduous to evergreen tree reaching a height of up to 35 metres with a wide stem of 120 centimetres.
The attractiveness of this tree is its almost flat crown, perfect for creating shade in the garden. lt is useful in car parks and lawn expanses.
Although originally from east tropical Africa (DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Mozambique), it has successfully been adopted in southern Africa.
The tree is found in evergreen semi-deciduos forests 700 to 2 400 metres above sea level, even along rivers and grasslands. The Kenyan croton succeeds well in welldrained soils.
Once established, it will tolerate drought conditions. The tree can be pruned into a hedge.
From the time the tree flowers, its seeds take five months to ripen. The seed harvest can be up to 30 kilogrammes per tree.
The tree is used for timber, firewood and medicine. The seeds are a source of biofuel and poultry feed.
Medicinal uses include treating whooping cough, pneumonia, stomach ache, fevers and abdominal problems. Use the bark as a decoction.
Sap from the leaves and twigs is applied to wounds.
Since the tree is not grazed by livestock, it is important in live fences, hedges and windbreaks.
It is a very good tree for shade in coffee plantations and a good mulching agent. Fruit shells are used as mulch in gardens or as a component of potting mixtures.
Honey from the flowers is dark and has a strong flavour. The wood from the tree is hard, strong and moderately durable as it is susceptible to termite attacks. It is, therefore, used for making stools, mortars, beehives, veneer and agricultural tools.
The wood is also used to make charcoal. Seed from the tree is easy to germinate so you can sow it directly where the tree is supposed to be established. The most common error made by most people is transplanting the tree too deep and burying the stem in the process. The tree becomes stunted. Rather, plant by only burying the root ball.
Store seeds for up to nine months. This is by far one of the easiest trees to grow in your garden.
Find the elegance of the Kenyan croton on your property.