Kiaat (Pterocarpus angolensis) family Faboideae
This a species of Pterocarpus native to southern Africa, in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zaire, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The name Kiaat is Afrikaans and is sometimes used outside South Africa as well.
It is a deciduous tree usually growing to 16 m tall. In favoured wetter locations the trees are typically about 18-19 m tall. The leaves appear at the time of the flowers or shortly afterwards.
It produces an abundance of scented, orange-yellow in the spring. In southern Africa, this is usually just at the end of the dry season, often about mid-October.
The kiaat is fed upon by many animals that include the charaxes butterfly in larval state, squirrels, baboons and monkeys that feed on the seed pods.
There are several uses for the wood of the kiaat. The brown heartwood is resistant to borer and termite, is durable and has a pleasing spicy fragrance. The wood polishes well and is well-known in tropical Africa as Mukwa when used to make good quality furniture that has an attractive light brownish-yellow colour. It can also be used for curios, and implements. Since the wood does not swell or shrink much it is great for canoe building. Furniture and curios are often made from the reddish sapwood. The colour of the sapwood is a result of the remarkable, dark red sap of the plant; an alternative name of Bloodwood rises from this. This wood also produces a rich, resonant sound and can be made into many different musical instruments. In Zimbabwe, the mbira is traditionally made from mukwa.
It is valued for several medicinal uses. It has been recorded to treat ringworm, eye problems, blackwater fever, stabbing pains, malaria, and to increase the supply of breast milk. The resemblance of the sap to blood has led to the belief in supposed magical healing powers concerning the blood. Because of all these reasons and that it is also fire resistant the kiaat is sometimes planted around the chief's enclosure to make a living fence.
