Pachyelasma

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Pachyelasma
Pachyelasma tessmannii00.jpg
A specimen of P. tessmannii from Yangambi, Democratic Republic of the Congo that is locally known as l'arbre de l'authenticité where tribal elders held court
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Genus: Pachyelasma
Harms 1913
Species:
P. tessmannii
Binomial name
Pachyelasma tessmannii
(Harms) Harms 1913
Synonyms [1]

Stachyothyrsus tessmanniiHarms 1910 [2]

Pachyelasma is a genus of flowering plants in the legume subfamily Caesalpinioideae. [3] It contains only one species, Pachyelasmia tessmannii, which is native to central Africa. [1]

Contents

Description

Pachyelasma tessmannii is an evergreen tree growing up to 60 m (200 ft) tall with a straight, cylindrical trunk up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in diameter. The flowers are red and the fruits are four-angled black pods that may be up to 37 cm (15 in) in length. [1] [4]

Fig. i. Pachyelasma tessmannii. A flowering branch, B bud, C flower, D flower in longitudinal section, F stamens, G pod, H pod in cross section, J seed, K seed in cross section, L seed in longitudinal section Botanische Jahrbucher fur Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie (1912) (14577323878).jpg
Fig. i. Pachyelasma tessmannii. A flowering branch, B bud, C flower, D flower in longitudinal section, F stamens, G pod, H pod in cross section, J seed, K seed in cross section, L seed in longitudinal section

Distribution and habitat

Pachyelasma tessmannii can be found in the wet tropical regions of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria. [1]

Uses

The fruit is sometimes used by fishermen in remote areas of Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo for poison fishing. [5] Some cocoa farmers in Cameroon mix the bark with other plant materials and extracts to create a natural pesticide [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mimosoideae</span> Subfamily of legumes

The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals that are twice divided (valvate) in bud and with numerous showy, prominent stamens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabaceae</span> Family of legume flowering plants

The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, are a large and agriculturally important family of flowering plants. It includes trees, shrubs, and perennial or annual herbaceous plants, which are easily recognized by their fruit (legume) and their compound, stipulate leaves. The family is widely distributed, and is the third-largest land plant family in number of species, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with about 765 genera and nearly 20,000 known species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caesalpinioideae</span> Subfamily of legumes

Caesalpinioideae is a botanical name at the rank of subfamily, placed in the large family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. Its name is formed from the generic name Caesalpinia. It is known also as the peacock flower subfamily. The Caesalpinioideae are mainly trees distributed in the moist tropics, but include such temperate species as the honeylocust and Kentucky coffeetree. It has the following clade-based definition:

The most inclusive crown clade containing Arcoa gonavensisUrb. and Mimosa pudicaL., but not Bobgunnia fistuloides(Harms) J. H. Kirkbr. & Wiersema, Duparquetia orchidaceaBaill., or Poeppigia proceraC.Presl

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detarioideae</span> Subfamily of legumes

The subfamily Detarioideae is one of the subdivisions of the plant family Fabaceae (legumes). This subfamily includes many tropical trees, some of which are used for timber or have ecological importance. The subfamily consists of 84 genera, most of which are native to Africa and Asia. Pride of Burma and tamarind are two of the most notable species in Detarioideae. It has the following clade-based definition:

The most inclusive crown clade containing Goniorrhachis marginataTaub. and Aphanocalyx cynometroidesOliv., but not Cercis canadensisL., Duparquetia orchidaceaBaill., or Bobgunnia fistuloides(Harms) J. H. Kirkbr. & Wiersema.

Astropanax is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Tropical Africa, Madagascar, and other Indian Ocean islands. It was resurrected from Schefflera in 2017.

Bussea is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes seven species of trees and occasionally shrubs native to sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Guinea to Ghana in West Africa, from Gabon and Angola to Tanzania and Mozambique in central Africa, and to Madagascar. Habitats include seasonally-dry tropical forests and thickets, moist semi-deciduous forests, and evergreen rain forest.

<i>Dialium</i> Genus of legumes

Dialium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Dialioideae. Velvet tamarind is a common name for several species. The genus includes 37 species which range from the tropical Americas to sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, India, Indochina, and western Malesia.

Englerodendron is a small genus of legumes belonging to the family Fabaceae, that are native to tropical Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cercidoideae</span> Subfamily of legumes

Cercidoideae is a subfamily in the pea family, Fabaceae. Well-known members include Cercis (redbuds), including species widely cultivated as ornamental trees in the United States and Europe, Bauhinia, widely cultivated as an ornamental tree in tropical Asia, and Tylosema, a semi-woody genus of Africa. The subfamily occupies a basal position within the Fabaceae and is supported as monophyletic in many molecular phylogenies. At the 6th International Legume Conference, the Legume Phylogeny Working Group proposed elevating the tribe Cercidae to the level of subfamily within the Leguminosae (Fabaceae). The consensus agreed to the change, which was fully implemented in 2017. It has the following clade-based definition:

The most inclusive crown clade containing Cercis canadensisL. and Bauhinia divaricataL. but not Poeppigia proceraC.Presl, Duparquetia orchidaceaBaill., or Bobgunnia fistuloides(Harms) J.H.Kirkbr. & Wiersema.

Stachyothyrsus is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It includes two species native to tropical Africa.

<i>Distemonanthus</i> Genus of legumes

Distemonanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Dialioideae. It contains a single species, Distemonanthus benthamianus, a deciduous tree, which occurs widely but sparsely in the forest regions of Tropical West and Central Africa; it is sometimes confused with Pericopsis laxiflora due to similar morphological features.

<i>Fillaeopsis</i> Genus of legumes

Fillaeopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It contains a single species, Fillaeopsis discophora. It is a tree native to Nigeria and west-central Africa. It is a tree of the Guineo-Congolian forest, where it grows up to 130 feet (40 m) tall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalbergieae</span> Tribe of legumes

The tribe Dalbergieae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae. Within that subfamily, it belongs to an unranked clade called the dalbergioids. It was recently revised to include many genera formerly placed in tribes Adesmieae and Aeschynomeneae and to be included in a monophyletic group informally known as the dalbergioids sensu lato. The members of this tribe have a distinctive root nodule morphology, often referred to as an "aeschynomenoid" or "dalbergioid" nodule.

Baphiastrum is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family (Fabaceae). It includes a single species, Baphiastrum brachycarpum, a liana native to west-central Africa. It grows in Guineo-Congolian forest in Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dialioideae</span> Subfamily of legumes

The subfamily Dialioideae is one of the subdivisions of the plant family Fabaceae (legumes). This subfamily includes many tropical trees and shrubs. The subfamily consists of 17 genera, which are widespread throughout the tropics. It has the following clade-based definition:

The most inclusive crown clade containing Poeppigia proceraC.Presland Dialium guianense(Aubl.) Sandwith, but not Cercis canadensisL., Duparquetia orchidaceaBaill., or Bobgunnia fistuloides(Harms) J. H. Kirkbr. & Wiersema

Aubrevillea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It includes two species of trees native to west and central Africa, ranging from Senegal to Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Anisopus mannii is a perennial herbaceous shrub in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae of the family Apocynaceae — commonly referred to as the dogbane family. The flowering species grows in the tropical environments of central Africa, and is renown in traditional Nigerian medicine for treating sexual impotence, the common cold, diarrhea, and most notably, its potent hypoglycemic effect. Recent research has been conducted, looking in to the species' potential anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, and antioxidant bioactivities and mechanisms of action.

Guibourtia tessmannii is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is a medium to large-sized tree and is native to Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The timber has an attractive appearance and has many uses, and the bark is used in traditional medicine.

Adenodolichos kaessneri is a plant in the legume family Fabaceae, native to central Africa.

Adenodolichos punctatus is a plant in the legume family Fabaceae, native to tropical Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Pachyelasma tessmannii (Harms) Harms". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. Harms, H. (1911). Einige Nutzhölzer Kameruns. II. Leguminosae. Notizblatt Des Königl. Botanischen Gartens Und Museums Zu Berlin, 5, 9–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27669771
  3. The Legume Phylogeny Working Group (LPWG). (2017). "A new subfamily classification of the Leguminosae based on a taxonomically comprehensive phylogeny". Taxon . 66 (1): 44–77. doi: 10.12705/661.3 .
  4. Doucet, Robin; Doucet, Jean-Loius; Lejeune, Phillipe; Verheyen, Cécile; De Mil, Tom; Martin, Patrick; Lagoute, Paul; Jourez, Benoit (2021). "Wood description and timber use investigation of Pachyelasma tessmannii (Harms) Harms". European Journal of Wood and Wood Products. 80: 199–212. doi:10.1007/s00107-021-01758-3.
  5. Neuwinger, H. D. (2004). "Plants used for poison fishing in tropical Africa". Toxicon . Elsevier. 44 (4): 417–430. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2004.05.014. PMID   15302524.
  6. Coulibaly, O.; Mbila, D.; Sonwa, D. J.; Adesina, Akin; Bakala, J. (2002). "Responding to economic crisis in sub Saharan Africa: New farmer-developed pest management strategies in cocoa-based plantations in Southern Cameroon". Integrated Pest Management Reviews. Kluwer Academic Publishers. 7 (3): 165–172. doi:10.1023/b:ipmr.0000027500.24459.fe. S2CID   83664935.