Katimaha tree, or also known as Timaha, Timahar, or a plant with the Latin name Kleinhovia hospita is a tree that is evergreen and dense, usually grows 6 - 10 meters in length but in secondary forests it reaches 20 or even 30 meters.
It has a dense, round crown and sprays of erect pink flowers and berries. The Katimaha tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of food, medicine and various commodities. Cultivated in India, where it is planted in parks and as a road tree, mainly because of its attractive pink panicles.
KATIMAHA PLANT CHARACTERS
Katimaha Trees Grow well in acid soils and provide nutrient rich mulch, and in clearing abandoned land, grasslands, and secondary forest at elevations of up to 200 meters, sometimes up to 500 meters and in hilly or mountainous forests.
Katimaha fruit is closer to the flower due to its abundance and size, Fruit production starts early, in the third year after planting
BENEFITS AND USES OF KATIMAHA TREE
- The leaves and flowers are eaten as a vegetable.
- The crushed leaves are used to treat skin ailments and are rubbed on the forehead for headache relief.
- The juice from the leaves is great for washing the eyes.
- The leaves are also used as a haircut for removing lice.
- Cambium preparations are used for the treatment of pneumonia.
- The bark which is scraped off by water is then filtered and the fluid is reduced after cough and tuberculosis treatment.
- The leaves and bark contain cyanogenic compounds which are thought to help kill ectoparasites such as lice.
- The leaf extract has shown anti-tumor activity.
- Fatty acid bags with cyclopropenic rings (scopoletin, kaempferol, and quercetin) have been isolated from the leaves.
KATIMAHA TREE AGROFORESTRY USES
Katimaha plants are commonly found in responsive land clearing and secondary forest and are often a strong component of secondary forest, indicating their potential as a reforestation species, both in indigenous languages and also in establishing forest gardens.
OTHER BENEFITS OF KATIMAHA TREE
- The fibrous bark is used for coarse straps.
- Pieces of bark are used as a temporary tie to tie garden produce or firewood.
- Red wood has a slightly fine texture, is soft, easy to season, work, light and light.
- The branches are often twisted, to make decorative cuts such as knife handles.
- The Katimaha tree is referred to as one of the best firewood in the western Pacific and is also an input for making fire by friction, The energy value of the wood is around 19,000 kJ / kg.
