Syzygium cordatum, in our language its called Hute / I prefer to call it Mhute. I feel the word is more meaningful, it sounds dignified with the M in front. MU !My first encounter with this tree began in Murewa. It was the first time that I had travelled to my roots. It was those thorny years in the urban areas. A time of looming economic hardships, nostalgia that compelled my father s generation to seek rural land to sustain their urban lives. This was my experience of my rural home, I do not know about your own experience.My father arrived with plans to see the Herdman, it was my grandfather, my father s uncle. My biological grandfather had died in an accident in Harare. He was buried in Murewa. My grandfather spoke a lot, I liked him, he was that sort of a chap who despite the urbanisations of Zimbabwe by Smith, he had remained where he was born. I wondered, how it could be that city authority officials with their suits and large amount of rent could not offer people bigger land like herdsmen do in the rural area? I thought everybody, at the end, is honoured by being buried on the anthill. That in itself ought to make these areas richer than urban squatters where no one is buried even on a Spanish villa in Borrow dale. Kkkkkkkkkkkk.Of course he was sceptical of urbanites , the two had a distorted history but according to our traditions, my father was entitled to land. It was free and bigger than location properties adjacent to industries that survive mostly on our minerals and crops that are grown in the rural areas. That one is dark, its for another day.As per custom land was given to my father, it was near a river_ Nyaguwe to be precise. I doubted if crops could grow in such an area. The area was too wet, the very reason why Hute trees were bloosiming there. Siltation was also probable if the land was cultivated. Anyway, one afternoon my grandfather told me that by joining two twigs, one could discover the source of water. I tried out his method a few times, it did not work. I guess the lesson was much more dipper that that. I Wondered abouts its fruits, my stomach told me the season was not yet, besides, the trees looked very young.A few years later in Zvimba - I saw this same trees, this time with fruits hanging. They were larger, they are usually found in dry wetlands. I guess over time, these areas were cut of from the main sources of water but retained little underground water. Its sad that the habitat that once occupied these areas have also vanished due to human activities. On my grazing duties, I ate the fruits. Their sweet smell reminds me of expensive fragrances produced by major cosmetic entities in the West. Paris, New York and London if you ask me. But hey, it doesnt make sense, does it? A Zimbabwean plant in expensive colognes!On medicinal purposes , we have little information. We know the plant s parts are used as fish poison, medicine.I had some discussion with my better half about this plant. We are just wondering why this plant is not used in laboratories. And why would someone fly to Singapore for treatment when plants that treat the ugliest of ailments are found in the country?Syzygium cordatum is found in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique and is used for various medicinal purposes.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 21:50:59 +0000
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