Flame Tree Sacred And Cursed Tree

The tree called ekiko in Rukiga is usually known as flame tree but also red-hot poker tree or lucky bean tree in English. Its Latin name is Erythrina abyssinica. This tree is indigenous to the Gorilla Highlands and found in various other parts of the world, up to 2,000m above sea level. It grows to 6-12m, with thick branches coming out of a short trunk.

If a dracaena is not available, a flame tree can be utilised for demarcating boundaries. It is also good for making beehives, beer brewing vessels and improvised stamps (used at rural schools or local councils). Nevertheless it is perceived as a relatively useless tree, so it is a cheap option for firewood.

The strikingly red flowers from a flame tree were appreciated as decoration inside ancient people’s huts. But the thorns on its branches and trunk were as remarkable: there is a proverb saying that “the one who wants to shed blood climbs a flame tree”, meaning that one can always create problems to him/herself. Warring clans would even use thorny stems as weapons.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

– skin rash: you crush its red flowers with leaves, then squeeze it out and rub the juice and crushed leaves all over your body
– liver disease: you crush the leaves or the stem and dry them, pound till it looks like powder and mix it into food and drinks; 3 times a day, for 1-3 months
– gonorrhoea: you roast the bark until it turns black, crush and pound it to powder; apply it on the burns and swelling parts of the body, tie with a piece of cloth and squeeze it on the swelling
– malaria: you crush the leaves, add cold water, sieve it and drink it after meals, 3 times a day; you peel the roots, cut them into small pieces, dry them, pound them to powder, add cold water and drink it after meals, 3 times a day
– animal eyes treatment: melt the flower with fire and squeeze its juice into the animal eye; do not do the same with human eyes as it may cause harm

CULTURAL BELIEFS
Sacred tree: If you want your own Nyabingi, pray under a flame tree. Its wood is used for roasting meat when you give sacrifice to ancestors.

Cursed tree: Hunters used to bury their dogs under flame trees or tie a dead dog to the trunk and leave it. They believed you could not be successful at hunting in an area with many flame trees.

Protection from birds of misfortune: Flame trees were planted to discourage, due to their thorns, nesting of birds like owls which bring bad luck to the family.

Protection from lightening: The tree catches lightening that would otherwise destroy a house or other properties.

Twin baby delivery: Newborn twins were taken to a flame tree and their bodies were smeared using the leaves and flowers mixed with cow ghee. This was done to avoid disease.

The flame tree, also known as royal poinciana or flamboyant, is a member of the bean family (Leguminosae) and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful tropical trees in the world. This aptly named tree produces striking flame-like scarlet and yellow flowers in spring before the leaves emerge. As the trees mature, they develop broad umbrella-shaped crowns, and are often planted for their shade-giving properties. The delicate, fern-like leaves are composed of small individual leaflets, which fold up at the onset of dusk. This tree produces brown, woody seed pods that reach lengths of up to 60 cm; they turn reddish-brown to almost black when ripe.
Flame tree biology

The beautiful flowers of the flame tree are pollinated by birds. The flowers are produced in spring and summer and the leaves are shed in the dry season.

Flame tree range
This tree is native to west and north Madagascar, but it has been widely cultivated elsewhere.

Flame tree habitat
This tropical tree can grow in a wide range of habitats, including disturbed sites. It grows in full sun and can tolerate sandy, loamy, clay, acidic and alkaline soils.

Flame tree threats
Habitat destruction has been particularly severe in Madagascar. Most of the human population of the island are found in rural communities dependent on the resources of the forest for survival. Since humans arrived on the island around 2000 years ago, a staggering 80% of the forest cover has been lost. The major native populations of the flame tree which occur around Antsiranana are found in areas greatly threatened by charcoal production.

Flame tree conservation
Although widely cultivated around the world and widely loved for its dazzling display of flowers in spring and summer, unfortunately the native populations of the flame tree are classified as globally Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.