Tree, up to 12 m tall, much-branched with ± drooping or arched branches; bark becoming grey, ± rough; slash red; young shoots densely white pubescent. Leaves lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 2–6 x 0.5–2.3 cm, rounded to cuneate at the base, acute at the apex, with entire margins, soon glabrous and ± shiny above, densely white tomentose beneath; petiole 2–5 mm long. Male cymes subsessile, c. 6 mm long, tomentose; pedicels 2–5 mm long; sepals c. 3 mm long, ovate to elliptic, 3-nerved; anthers c. 2 mm long. Female cymes sessile, tomentose; pedicels c. 7–10 mm long, elongating up to 23 mm in fruit; sepals elliptic-oblong, c. 7–10 mm long in flower, enlarging and up to 23 mm long in fruit. Fruits 6–10 mm long with obvious suture.
Range
N1–3
Altitude range
1200–2175 m.
Distribution
SOMALIA Newbould 889; Collenette 394; Thulin, Abdi Dahir & Ahmed Osman 9442.
Distribution (external)
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Yemen
Saudi Arabia
Notes
Adawih, jedeeyo, jedenyu (Som.). B. oleoides has a strong reputation in Somalia to be poisonous to goats and the same is true for Eritrea. However, apparently no investigations of possible poisonous principles have been made.
