Osyris Daruma Parsa

Greatly known by its family name as African Sandalwood, Osyris Daruma Parsa has taken the world under its toll due to its refreshing and detectable properties and aromatic essence. Hailing from the family of Santalaceae, this plant exhibit the characteristic of being a hemi-parasitic plant, a category of parasitic plant that evolves under various natural conditions and works according to the process of photosynthesis to some extent. Ranging from South Africa to Zimbabwe to East Africa, the forests of African Sandalwood grows in rocky areas or along the boundaries of dry forests and also resides in the places including Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

CHARACTERISTICS

Osyris Daruma Parsa is also frequently known by many names under local language.someof them are rock tannin-bush, transvaal sumach (Eng.); bergbas, rotslooibas (Afr.); intshakasa, ingondotha-mpete (Zulu); umbulunyathi (Zulu/Xhosa); intekeza, utekeza (Xhosa); umBulunyati (Swati); mpere (Tsonga); mpeta (Venda). Its large, multi-functional stemmed chronology has led to the formation of evergreen shrubs or plant which is 2–6 meters high and consists of sleek and dark brown-black bark with tiny flowers small and yellow-green in color. The time taken by flowers to flourish comes in between September to February and fruiting time extends from May to November.

This plant’s name derived from the Greek source, Ozos, referring to branch or branching habit and is mainly identified as a coastal species. They occur mostly on rocky surfaces, mountain slopes and terrestrial plains or wooded grasslands, from the Eastern Capes northwards through the eastern medium of South Africa to Central Africa. In addition to the facts, Osyris Daruma Parsa became one of the least endangered species and didn’t qualify for the category under Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened.

USAGE AND CULTURAL RELEVANCE

Osyris Daruma Parsa has numerous usage and relevance under its belt. It is generally used for its hard and timeless wood, which is commonly used for timber, firewood and carving pestles. The rooting system produces a strong, red dye and their fibers are mostly used in basketry process. The roots possess a medicinal value and can be used as a fine ingredient in tea and as a tonic in soup. The fruits that grow in the season can be eaten raw when ripened during emergencies. With the reference to some cultural significance, Kenyan communities use this plant to preserve milk in gourds for long intervals. The root extraction is used in treating Diarrhea, STDs, and Anemia and diseases including Hepatitis B. even recurring the role of being a category of sandalwood, it executes the role of being a sheer ingredient for perfumes and cosmetics, for many household products and much more.

HOSTING IDENTIFICATION

Some investigations were carried out at Image, Nundu, Sao Hill and Iringa in the southern highlands of Tanzania related to the plants that perform the functions of hosts, and their influences on their early growth. The objective lies in the fact to know the type of host and to evaluate their advantages and growth rate with the help of artificial establishment on Osyris Daruma Parsa. The preferred hosts were Rhus natalensis, Dodonaea viscosa, Tecomaria capensis, Catha edulis, Apodytes dimidiata, Brachystegia spiciformis, Maytenus acuminatus and Aphloia theiformis. Among the list of preferred hosts, Brachytegia spiciformis, Rhus natalensisand Casuarina equisetifolia promoted most effectively the early growth of O. Daruma in terms of height, diameter and overall root and shoot biomass.