Flora Fridays: Sicklebush | Dichrostachys cinerea

Instructor Mike Anderson teaches us about the Sicklebush, Latin name Dichrostachys cinerea.
Fruit and seeds that grow on Sicklebush (D. cinerea) are edible. Cattle, camels and game such as giraffe, buffalo, kudu, hartebeest, nyala, red forest duiker and Damara dik-dik feed on the juicy pods that fall to the ground.
In traditional medicine, the bark is used for headache, toothache, dysentery, elephantiasis, root infusions are used for leprosy, syphilis, coughs, as an anthelmintic, purgative and strong diuretic, leaves are used for epilepsy and also as a diuretic and laxative, and a powdered form is massaged on limbs with bone fractures.
As they are rich in nutrients, it is often used as fertiliser, particularly in the Sahel region of Africa along riverbanks. The plant is widely used for soil conservation, particularly in India, for shallow soils, and in arid western and subhumid alluvial plains.
It is also the number one cause of punctures tires when on Safari, so watch out...
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