Contributed by the Garden Team.
This week’s veggie spotlight centres on Senna Singueana. Senna Singueana is a leguminous shrub or small tree native to Africa. Every year its pods fill with beans that are similar sized to lentils that are eaten in Malawi and Tanzania.
The leaves of the plant are edible as well and can be eaten as a vegetable or used as livestock fodder. The branches can be pruned and used for firewood, and in Tanzania it is used as a treatment against convulsions, gonorrhea, bilharzia, heartburn, stomach-ache, constipation, wounds, and snake bites. The ash from the burnt roots mixed with porridge provides a remedy for stomach pains. From food to medicine to timber, Senna Singueana is incredibly versatile and grown throughout our demonstrations.
Moreover, here at the centre Senna Singueana impresses with its high seed saving viability. Well dried seeds in sealed containers can maintain a 99% germination rate even after 3 years! This translates to more trees planted around the centre. If anyone is interested in any saved seed so they can start their own plants we would be happy to supply them.
