Medicinal Plants of Namibia | Page 35

Plant:!Parkinsonia&africana!
Family:!Fabaceae:!Caesalpinioideae13!!
!
Common(names:!!
!Khâs13,!22,!47!!!
GreenShair!tree22,!47!!
Grünhwarbaum22!!
Langnadelstrauch13,!22,!47!!
Lemoendoring13,!22,!47!!
Omuombamenje22,!47!!
!
Range:((
With!the!exception!of!in!the!Caprivi,!the!greenShair!tree!is!abundant!in!most!of!
Namibia13.!!Parkinsonia&africana’s!habitat!is!the!desert!including!the!NamaSKaroo,!
Namib!and!Damaraland13.!
!
Diagnostic(characteristics:(
Reminiscent!of!the!Mexican!Palo!Verde!
tree!(Parkinsonia&aculeata)!native!to!
the!Sonoran!Desert!of!the!southwest!
United!States!and!northwest!Mexico,!
Parkinsonia&africana!has!yellowSgreen!
and!pale!brown!bark13.!!Thorns!of!this!
tree!are!straight!and!share!the!color!of!
the!bark.!!Some!tiny!compound!yellowS
green!leaves!decorate!a!rachis13.!!Since!
this!deciduous!tree!tends!to!drop!leaves!
October!to!December,!these!extensions!
of!the!petiole!often!resemble!green!
hairs!earning!its!common!names13.!!!
!!
Small!mustard!yellow!flowers!getting!
no!bigger!than!15!mm!wide!will!adorn!this!thinSstemmed!tree!from!October!to!
April13.!!Slender,!flat!brown!seedpods!are!the!fruit!of!this!tree!and!although!they!can!
be!found!year!round,!they!occur!in!the!greatest!amounts!from!December!to!April13.!!
The!green!hair!tree!typically!has!multiple!stems!and!gets!no!taller!than!8!m13.!!!