Balanites aegyptiaca
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Zygophyllales
Family:	Zygophyllaceae
Subfamily:	Tribuloideae
Genus:	Balanites
Species:	B. aegyptiaca
Binomial name
Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile, 1812
Synonyms
Ximenia aegyptiaca L.

Balanites aegyptiaca is a species of tree, classified either as a member of the Zygophyllaceae or the Balanitaceae.^[1] This tree is native to much of Africa and parts of the Middle East.^[2] This is one of the most common trees in Senegal.^[3] It can be found in many kinds of habitat, tolerating a wide variety of soil types, from sand to heavy clay, and climatic moisture levels, from arid to subhumid.^[4] It is relatively tolerant of flooding, livestock activity, and wildfire.^[4]

This tree reaches 10 m (33 ft) in height with a generally narrow form. The branches are thorny. The tree produces several forms of inflorescence bearing yellow-green bisexual flowers which exude nectar.^[3] They are pollinated by halictid bees, including Halictus gibber, and flies, including Rhinia apicalis and Chrysomia chloropiza.^[3] The carpenter ant Camponotus sericeus feeds on the nectar.^[3] The larva of the cabbage tree emperor moth Bunaea alcinoe causes defoliation of the tree.^[4]

The dark green compound leaves are made up of two leaflets which are variable in size and shape.^[5]

The yellow, single-seeded fruit is edible, but bitter.^[4] Many parts of the plant are used as famine foods in Africa; the leaves are eaten raw or cooked, the oily seed is boiled to make it less bitter and eaten mixed with sorghum, and the flowers can be eaten.^[6] The tree is considered valuable in arid regions because it produces fruit even in dry times.^[4] The fruit can be fermented for alcoholic beverages.^[5]

The seed contains 30-40% seed oil and contains the sapogenins diosgenin and yamogenin.^[7] Diosgenin can be used to produce hormones such as those in combined oral contraceptive pills and corticoids.^[3] The oil is used as cooking oil.^[3] The seed cake remaining after the oil is extracted is commonly used as animal fodder in Africa.^[5] The seeds of the Balanites aegyptiaca have molluscicide effect on Biomphalaria pfeifferi.^[8]

Medicinal uses of this plant are many. The fruit is mixed into porridge and eaten by nursing mothers, and the oil is consumed for headache and to improve lactation.^[6] Bark extracts and the fruit repel snails and copepods, organisms that host the parasites schistosome and guinea worm, respectively.^[7]

The tree is managed through agroforestry. It is planted along irrigation canals and it is used to attract insects for trapping.^[4] The pale to brownish yellow wood is used to make furniture and durable items such as tools, and it is a low-smoke firewood and good charcoal.^[4][5] The smaller trees and branches are used as living or cut fences because they are resilient and thorny.^[7][4][5] The tree fixes nitrogen.^[4] It is grown for its fruit in plantations in several areas.^[5] The bark yields fibers, the natural gums from the branches are used as glue, and the seeds have been used to make jewelry and beads.^[5]

There are many common names for this plant.^[6] In English the fruit has been called desert date; in Arabic it is known as lalob, hidjihi, and heglig. In Hausa it is called aduwa, in Swahili mduguyu,^[9] and in Amharic bedena.^[10]

[edit] References

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