Ulmus parvifolia elm" for the real Chinese elm. Elms, hickory and ash all have remarkably hard, tough wood that has made them popular for things like tool handles, bows and baseball bats. Chinese elm is considered the hardest of the elms. Owing to its superior hardness, toughness and resistance to splitting, Chinese elm is said to be the best of all woods for chisel handles and similar uses. Chinese elm lumber is used most for furniture, cabinets, veneer and hardwood flooring, as well as specialty uses such as long bow construction and tool handles. Most of the commercially milled lumber goes directly
Balanites rotundifolia The wood is used as firewood and to make charcoal. It is fashioned into poles, tool handles, carvings, utensils (e.g. head rests, wooden spoons and combs). The leaves and shoots provide fodder for domestic animals in very arid areas. It is used for live fencing and the cut branches are used to make fences, it is also planted in soil conservation projects. There are no known medicinal applications. Balanites rotundifolia Balanites rotundifolia, known in Swahili as Mbamba ngoma is a spiny bush or small tree from eastern Africa and southern Arabia. It is a member of the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae.