Thespesia garckeana (also known by its synonym Azanza garckeana) is a tree in the family Malvaceae

Malvaceae

Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...

, found throughout the warmer parts of Southern Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 in wooded grasslands, open woodland and thickets. It grows naturally over a range of altitudes from 1000 to 2000 m above sea level, from semi-arid areas to areas of higher rainfall. T. garckeana is often found on or near termite mounds in old fields.

Common names: African Chewing Gum, Snot Apple, Tree Hibiscus, Mutohwe (Shona), nkole (Sri Lanka)

Uses

• The whole fruit except the seeds is chewed like gum
  Chewing gum
  Chewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
  
  , producing a sweet glutinous slime. The fruit is also used as a syrup and soup.
• The sap wood is yellow and the heart wood is a deep brown. It is easily worked but generally only suitable for small building needs, tool handles, oxen yokes, and domestic items such as spoons.
• The leaves of T. garckeana have many uses including green manure
  Manure
  Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...
  
   and mulch
  Mulch
  In agriculture and gardening, is a protective cover placed over the soil to retain moisture, reduce erosion, provide nutrients, and suppress weed growth and seed germination. Mulching in gardens and landscaping mimics the leaf cover that is found on forest floors....
  
  . The leaves also provide an often used fodder
  Fodder
  Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
  
  .