Euclea pseudebenus (PROTA)
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Introduction |
| General importance |  
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| Geographic coverage Africa |
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| Geographic coverage World |
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| Fruit |
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| Medicinal |
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| Timber |
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| Fuel |
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| Ornamental |
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| Forage / feed |
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| Auxiliary plant |
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| Fibre |
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| Food security |
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| Climate change |
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Euclea pseudebenus E.Mey. ex A.DC.
- Protologue: Prodr. 8: 217 (1844).
- Family: Ebenaceae
- Chromosome number: 2n = 30
Vernacular names
- Cape ebony, false ebony (En).
Origin and geographic distribution
Euclea pseudebenus occurs in dry regions of Angola, Namibia and western South Africa.
Uses
The wood with its blackish heartwood and pale sapwood has much resemblance to the true ebony of Diospyros spp., and is locally popular for carving and inlay work, and is also used for construction of houses, fences and utensils. However, it is usually only available in small dimensions. It is important as firewood. The roots and twigs are chewed to clean the teeth. The fruits are edible although they may be quite astringent. Root infusions are applied in traditional medicine to treat headache and toothache. Leaves and fruits serve as forage for livestock. The tree gives valuable shade in the hot and dry areas where it grows.
Properties
The heartwood is black and distinctly demarcated from the pale sapwood. The wood has a fine texture and is hard and durable.
Several naphthoquinones have been isolated from the roots of Euclea pseudebenus, of which 7-methyljuglone showed potent anti-tuberculosis activity, diospyrin showed tumour inhibitory effect against different cancer cell lines, and isodiospyrin showed DNA topo-isomerase I inhibitory activity.
Description
- Shrub or small tree up to 10 m tall; bole up to 30(–50) cm in diameter; bark surface deeply cracked, dark grey; branches drooping, twigs slender, hanging straight down, finely hairy.
- Leaves alternate, simple and entire; stipules absent; petiole up to 3 mm long; blade linear, often slightly curved, 1.5–5 cm × 2–5 mm, cuneate at base, acuminate at apex, leathery, glabrous.
- Inflorescence a small axillary fascicle, hairy, male one 3–7-flowered, female one 1(–3)-flowered.
- Flowers unisexual, regular, 5–6-merous; calyx up to 1 mm long, short-hairy; corolla urn-shaped, c. 3 mm long, shallowly lobed; male flowers with 12–20 stamens and rudimentary ovary; female flowers slightly smaller than male ones, with superior, ovoid, densely hairy ovary, usually 4-celled, styles 2, very short.
- Fruit a globose berry 5–8 mm in diameter, black when ripe, usually 1-seeded.
- Seed globose, 3–5 mm in diameter, with 2 thin lines and a groove.
Other botanical information
Seedlings have been reported to grow rapidly in dry river beds, reaching about 60 cm tall in one year. The flowers are visited by bees and butterflies, which may serve as pollinators. The fruits are mainly eaten by birds, which disperse the seeds.
Euclea comprises about 12 species and is confined to Africa and Arabia. South Africa is richest in species.
Ecology
Euclea pseudebenus occurs in arid areas where few other tree species can survive, often growing together with Tamarix spp. It is commonly found in dry river beds in the Namib desert, preferring deep sandy soils, but occurs also on stony soils.
Management
Seedlings soon develop long taproots and are difficult to transplant.
Genetic resources
Euclea pseudebenus does not seem to be threatened because it is locally common, although usually not abundant. However, collection of the beautiful wood for carving and as firewood may locally cause high pressure on the populations, for which monitoring is recommended.
Prospects
Although Euclea pseudebenus provides a beautiful wood for ornamental purposes, its bole size is too small and its occurrence too scattered to be of great commercial importance. Further research on the pharmacological activities of Euclea pseudebenus is recommended because the results of preliminary studies are promising.
Major references
- Coates Palgrave, K., 1983. Trees of southern Africa. 2nd Edition. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa. 959 pp.
- de Winter, B., 1963. Ebenaceae. In: Dyer, R.A. & Codd, L.E. (Editors). Flora of southern Africa. Volume 26. Botanical Research Institute, Department of Agricultural Technical Services, Pretoria, South Africa. pp. 54–99.
- Palmer, E. & Pitman, N., 1972–1974. Trees of southern Africa, covering all known indigenous species in the Republic of South Africa, South-West Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. 3 volumes. Balkema, Cape Town, South Africa. 2235 pp.
- Van den Eynden, V., Vernemmen, P. & Van Damme, P., 1992. The ethnobotany of the Topnaar. University of Gent, Belgium. 145 pp.
- van Wyk, B.E. & Gericke, N., 2000. People’s plants: a guide to useful plants of southern Africa. Briza Publications, Pretoria, South Africa. 351 pp.
Other references
- Joubert, A., van der Kooy, F., Meyer, J.J.M. & Lall, N., 2006. HPLC in the comparative study of the content of naphthoquinones (quinonoid constituents) in Euclea species of South Africa. Chromatographia 64: 399–403.
- Neuwinger, H.D., 2000. African traditional medicine: a dictionary of plant use and applications. Medpharm Scientific, Stuttgart, Germany. 589 pp.
Author(s)
- R.H.M.J. Lemmens, PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands
Correct citation of this article
Lemmens, R.H.M.J., 2012. Euclea pseudebenus E.Mey. ex A.DC. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. Lemmens, R.H.M.J., Louppe, D. & Oteng-Amoako, A.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>.
Accessed 17 September 2026.
- See the Prota4U database.