Plant Resources of Tropical Africa

Oxytenanthera abyssinica is one of the few indigenous bamboos in tropical Africa. It usually forms dense clumps consisting of many stems, which are 5–10(–15) m tall and 3–8(–10) cm in diameter. It is distributed throughout tropical Africa outside the humid forest zone, from Senegal east to Eritrea, and south to Angola, Mozambique and northern South Africa, mainly at 300–1500 m altitude. It is often planted.

The stems are widely used for construction, fencing, furniture and fish-traps, and they are also used for stakes, trellises, tool handles, household implements and arrow shafts. The use of dry stems as fuel is widespread and they are sometimes made into charcoal. Split stems are used for basketry. Sap from the plant is collected for wine making in Tanzania and Malawi, the fresh or dried leaves are used as fodder, and the seeds and young shoots as famine food. Oxytenanthera abyssinica is useful in shelterbelts and windbreaks, for erosion control and as an ornamental plant. The rootstocks and leaves are used in traditional medicine.

For savanna regions in Africa Oxytenanthera abyssinica has major attractions as a natural product amenable to sustainable management. Straight, strong, light construction materials can be generated in as little as 3 years, and more items can be produced by splitting stems with simple household tools. Undemanding propagation options are available. Community bamboo stands established and harvested following protocols optimizing product quality and quantity can be combined with land rehabilitation. Despite wide rural significance, Oxytenanthera abyssinica remained neglected in the forestry and agricultural sectors. Key areas of study are clarification of geographic variation in features of utility interest, interaction of flowering cycles with clump survival, clarification of the conservation status, and identification of superior germplasm sources for various ecological conditions.