🌳 Tree
ANX-TREE-0000008
Nile Tulip
Markhamia lutea
Nile Tulip (Markhamia lutea), a timber, shade, agroforestry tree of the Bignoniaceae family.
- Family
- Bignoniaceae
- Tree type
- Timber, Shade, Agroforestry
- Mature height (m)
- 10-25
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Lifespan (years)
- 40-60
- Native region
- Tropical East Africa.
Environment
Growing Conditions
- Climate requirements
- Tropical highlands and mid-altitude zones with moderate to high rainfall.
- Soil types
- Tolerates a range of soils, including moderately poor or degraded ground.
- Water requirements
- Moderate; grows best with reliable rainfall but tolerates short dry spells.
Cultivation
Planting & Care
- Planting guide
- Grown from seed or wildings, commonly planted as a boundary or intercrop tree in East African smallholder farms.
- Care guide
- Coppices well and tolerates repeated pruning/pollarding for poles and fuelwood.
Phenology
Flowering & Fruiting
- Flowering season
- Bright yellow trumpet-shaped flowers, giving it the 'Nile tulip' name
- Fruiting season
- Long, thin, ribbon-like pods
Value
Uses & Economic Importance
- Uses
- Poles, timber, fuelwood, and shade for intercropped food crops; a very common agroforestry tree in East Africa.
- Economic importance
- One of the most commonly planted on-farm trees in the East African highlands, valued for its multipurpose poles/timber and compatibility with intercropping.
Trade
Marketplace
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