[KP.069] msambamfumu

This tree (also known as ‘lucky bean’ or ‘pod-mahogany’) is very interesting; there is a fine one on the ring-road opposite the Landscape department, a large tree with branches that come down nearly to the ground. At first it looks a bit like an mpapa (mpapa is one of its names in fact), but the pods are heavier and fatter, without the ridged edge. These do not split open explosively, but open a crack to reveal beautiful chocolate-brown seeds, which have bright orange arils (caps). The seeds will grow if you plant them. The leaves are dark green and shiny. The name means ‘bathing the chief’, and according to Palgrave an infusion of it was used for bathing to provide good luck before a hunt. There is another smaller msambamfumu, without pods, in the middle of the lawn halfway between Music and the Dining Hall.