Belonging in forest ecosystems from South Africa all the way up to Sudan, the Euclea divinorum has hard, close-grained wood with a variety of uses. This tree can be utilized for seemingly everything, from walking sticks to food to medicine. The quality of the wood gives it incredible practical use, while the edible parts of the tree are highly useful in cooking (and delicious, too)! One common dish is a soup with Eucllea divinorum bark added to it, common in Kipsigis and Masai communities. It is highly valued in veterinary medicine and as a toothbrush, which is why the Kikuyu people refer to this tree as Mukinyei. This tree is also particularly significant in Pokot tribal ceremonies, where it is considered a tree of peace, named Cheptuyis. It is also a meaningful plant for the Tugen tribe, who use the burning wood for smoking milk gourds.

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“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.

Leviticus 25:23