TREES BEES USE
TREES BEES USE
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Cay/usea abyssinica (Resedaceae)
Paul Latham, UK Synonym: Reseda abyssinica Common name: Ukwipa Apicultural value: In Ethiopia bees are able to collect pollen and nectar from flowers of this plant over an eight month period.
Description: An erect herb, occasionally bushy, an annual plant or short-lived perennial. Leaves are long, 2-8 cm and thin. Flowers are small, white and in flowering heads up to 40 cm long. Anthers are pink or orange, turning yellow when mature.
Ecology: Grows as
a weed in disturbed land
and on riversides between altitudes of 1,200-
3,000 m.
In Africa, Caylusea abyssinica |s present fram Sudan and Ethiopia south to Burundi, Malawi and Rwanda. Some people
leave wild plants growing in their gardens or may even plant the seed.
Propagation: The plant is grown easily from seed.
Uses:
In Umalila in Tanzania, the young leaves and stems are eaten, chopped up and cooked with other vegetables. The plant is
also used to feed rabbits and goats. The boiled leaves are used medicinally to treat stomach pains and for intestinal worms.
Caylusea abyssinica
in
flawer near llembo,
PHOIOS
PAUL LATRAM
Tanzania
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Bees for Development address on page 2
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