''Majidea zangueberica'' (also known as the mgambo tree, black pearl tree or velvet seed tree) is a small tree of the family

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1858 accepted species. Examples include horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The Sapindaceae occur in tempera ...

. The tree is native to

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

and grows up to 5 metres (16 ft) tall.

Description

This very ornamental small tree has shiny foliage with an attractive rounded canopy, making it very suitable for small tropical gardens or a container plant in cooler climates. They are hardy only in frost-free zones, otherwise they can make a rare and unique houseplant as they are smaller when container grown. The leaves are compound with up to 10 pairs of leaflets, which are elliptic about long and wide. Its highly ornamental seeds mean it's sometimes referred to as the black pearl tree or velvet-seed tree. It blooms with dense clusters of small green-red, fragrant flowers at the end of

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s. Fruit is spherical with three lobes, long. The fruit splits open, showing the bright red interior, with three spherical, velvety blue-black seeds.

Uses

The seeds are often used in artisan jewelry and the dried pods in flower arrangements, the composition of bouquets and decorative

potpourri Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl. The word "potpourri" comes into English from the French ...

References

Dodonaeoideae Plants described in 1871 Flora of Africa Taxa named by Daniel Oliver Taxa named by Thomas Kirk {{Sapindales-stub