Sporobolus virginicus
Sporobolus virginicus is a low-growing, vigorous, evergreen perennial grass that spreads freely by rhizomes and can form large, dense colonies. The erect culms are 10 - 40cm tall, the roots can grow down to 45cm deep.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is used in soil stabilization programmes, especially along wind-eroded shorelines.
Sterculia africana
Sterculia africana is a deciduous tree with erect branches spreading to form a rounded crown. It usually grows from 5 - 12 metres tall but can reach up to 25 metres, with a thick, fluted bole which can be 80cm or more in diameter.
The tree often branches from low down.
The tree is harvested from the wild as a local source of food, medicines and fibre.
Suregada zanzibariensis
Suregada zanzibariensis is a shrub or small tree with horizontal branches; it can grow up to 10 metres tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use. The tree is planted to provide shade, amenity and for soil conservation projects near the sea.
Synaptolepis kirkii
Synaptolepis kirkii is a small shrub, usually with a climbing habit, producing stems up to 4 metres long that arise from tuberous swollen roots. The branches twine around other plants for support.
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild as a local source of food, medicine and emergency rope. It is grown as an ornamental.
Syzygium aromaticum
Syzygium aromaticum is a dense and handsome evergreen tree that can grow around 20 metres tall. The short bole can be around 25cm in diameter.
The plant has been valued as a spice for at least 2,500 years.
It is commonly cultivated in the tropics, especially southeastern Asia but also Africa and the Americas, for its dried, unopened flowers and the essential oil derived from them.
Syzygium malaccense
Malay apple is an evergreen tree with a spreading but cone-shaped crown, usually growing 5 - 20 metres tall, occasionally up to 30 metres in New Guinea.
The straight, cylindrical bole can be 20 - 45cm in diameter (up to 130cm in New Guinea), often branching near the ground with buttresses at the base.
The edible fruit is well-liked and harvested locally, with potential for commercial exploitation.
The tree is cultivated for ornamental purposes and its fruit in tropical regions.
Tamarindus indica
Tamarindus indica is a long-lived and beautiful fruiting tree, growing up to 30 metres tall with a dense, spreading crown. The tree has fragrant flowers and feathery foliage that is usually evergreen but becomes deciduous in drier regions.
The bole is usually short, 1 - 2 metres in diameter.
Tamarind seedpods are widely used for food in the tropics. The tree also yields a number of other edible uses and has a wide range of medicinal applications and other uses. It is widely cultivated in the tropics and subtropics as an ornamental plant, for its edible seedpods, and for medicinal purposes.
Tamarindus indica is a large tree with a wide geographical distribution, thought to originate in tropical Africa. The species is not under threat, classified as "Least Concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2013).
Terminalia catappa
Terminalia catappa is a fast-growing deciduous or semi-evergreen tree, typically reaching 15 metres in height,
with some specimens growing up to 40 metres. It has a pagoda-like canopy when young, later becoming
less structured as branches elongate and droop.
Terminalia sambesiaca
Terminalia sambesiaca is an evergreen tree with a dense crown that is layered with horizontal branches; it can grow up to 40 metres tall. The usually straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 18 metres, up to 90cm in diameter, often slightly buttressed, old trees often with bottle-shaped buttresses up to 4 metres high.
The tree has been reported to be an excellent timber tree with potential for growing in plantations. The strongly antifungal activity of the root against Cryptococcus neoformans makes the plant a valuable medicinal plant in East and southern Africa, where AIDS-related cryptococcal infections are common. Further investigations on the antimicrobial activity against a panel of bacteria causing serious infections and isolation of the active compounds are warranted. Activity-guided isolation of compounds responsible for the anti-cancer activity of the root extract seems also worthwhile.
