- Skipper larva on leaf
- Flowers and young fruit
- Green fruit
Acridocarpus natalitius | |
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Acridocapus natalitius at Kew Gardens | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Malpighiaceae |
Genus: | Acridocarpus |
Species: | A. natalitius |
Binomial name | |
Acridocarpus natalitius | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Acridocarpus natalitius, the moth fruit, is a species of plant in the Malpighiaceae family. It is found in south-eastern Africa.
This evergreen plant has a highly variable growth form, ranging from a twiner growing on other plants to being a small tree (1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) tall). [2] [3] The bark is grey and rough. The young stems and leaves may be covered in pinkish hairs, but these fall of as the stems and leaves age. The leaves are leathery and become a shiny green when the hairs are no longer present. They are alternately arranged and have a clear midrib with net veins. [2] Dark glands may be present where the petiole meets the leaf or on the underside of the lamina. [3]
The yellow flowers are present between September and February. [2] The spreading petals have lacerated edges. [3]
The fruits have two or three elongated triangular wings. [2] [3] The way that they are fused, makes the fruit look like a moth with spread wings, given the plant its common name. These are present between November and April. [2]
It is the southernmost species of its genus and grows in subtropical dry forests, shrubland, coastal forests, sand forests and savannas. [2] [4] [5] It ranges from Pondoland to Limpopo in South Africa, and eastwards to Eswatini and Mozambique. [5]
The flowers are visited by ants and bees. [2] The samara fruit appear in summer, each with two to three veined wings, which remind of a moth with opened wings. It is a host plant for skipper butterflies. [5] The leaves are also eaten by game. [2]
This plant is still frequently sold in South African Muthi markets (markets in which traditional medicines are sold). [6] If consumed, the powdered root of this plant causes vomiting and diahoerea. It is also used in ointments. [7]
This plant also has several non-medical traditional uses. The roots are used, along with other ingredients, to make a mixture called intelezi, which can be used to hinder court procedures by making the accuser mute, repetitive or irrelevant. Intelezi may also be sprinkled around a homestead during a thunderstorm, used to strengthen fighting sticks or to induce vomiting in order to cleanse a whole family. [2] Herdboys may also place a piece of root under their tongues to avoid punishment if the cattle wandered into crops. [2] The roots can be used to avert anger if a fault has been committed. [8]
This plant is critically endangered in Zimbabwe. [5] It is not, however, considered to be threatened in South Africa.The population as a whole, however, is classified as least concern by the IUCN. It remains common, even if the population is fragmented and declining. [6] While it cannot grow in areas that are continuously disturbed for agriculture or mining, it has been found in areas that have previously been disturbed (for example, for farming or for forestry). This suggests it is somewhat resilient to disturbances. [6]
Ptelea trifoliata, commonly known as common hoptree, wafer ash, stinking ash, and skunk bush, is a species of flowering plant in the citrus family (Rutaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is a deciduous shrub or tree, with alternate, trifoliate leaves.
Yucca baccata is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, from southeastern California north to Utah, east to western Texas and south to Sonora and Chihuahua. It is also reported in the wild in Colombia.
Stangeria eriopus is a cycad endemic to southern Africa. It is the sole species in the genus Stangeria, most closely related to the Australian genus Bowenia, with which it forms the family Stangeriaceae.
Toona ciliata is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout South Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia.
Tecoma stans is a species of flowering perennial shrub in the trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceae, that is native to the Americas. Common names include yellow trumpetbush, yellow bells, yellow elder, ginger Thomas. Tecoma stans is the official flower of the United States Virgin Islands and the floral emblem of The Bahamas.
Protea caffra, native to South Africa, is a small tree or shrub which occurs in open or wooded grassland, usually on rocky ridges. Its leaves are leathery and hairless. The flower head is solitary or in clusters of 3 or 4 with the involucral bracts a pale red, pink or cream colour. The fruit is a densely hairy nut. The species is highly variable and has several subspecies.
Protea gaguedi is a species of tree which belongs to the genus Protea.
Acridocarpus is a genus of plant in family Malpighiaceae. They are native to Arabia and tropical and subtropical Africa, with one species in New Caledonia.
Psychotria zombamontana is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Homalanthus populifolius, the bleeding heart, native poplar or Queensland poplar, is an Australian rainforest plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It often appears in areas of rainforest disturbance. Bleeding heart is highly regarded by rainforest regenerators because of its fast growth and use as a pioneer species in rainforest regeneration.
Celtis mildbraedii is a species of forest tree in the family Cannabaceae. It was previously assigned to the family Ulmaceae. These trees grow in limited areas of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They are also found in forested areas from West Africa to Sudan, DRC, Angola and Tanzania. Common names include natal white stinkwood, red-fruited white-stinkwood and natal elm. This species is more common in Tropical Africa than in Southern Africa.
Trianthema portulacastrum is a species of flowering plant in the ice plant family known by the common names desert horsepurslane, black pigweed, and giant pigweed. It is native to areas of several continents, including Africa and North and South America, and present as an introduced species in many other areas. It grows in a wide variety of habitat types and it can easily take hold in disturbed areas and cultivated land as a weed.
Lithops lesliei is a species of plant in the family Aizoaceae. The plant is collected for its medicinal properties, and has therefore become threatened.
Ceriops tagal, commonly known as spurred mangrove or Indian mangrove, is a mangrove tree species in the family Rhizophoraceae. It is a protected tree in South Africa. The specific epithet tagal is a plant name from the Tagalog language.
Gloriosa superba is a species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae. Common names include flame lily, climbing lily, creeping lily, glory lily, gloriosa lily, tiger claw, agnishikha and fire lily.
Tabernaemontana ventricosa is a plant in the family Apocynaceae. It grows as a shrub or small tree up to 15 metres (50 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 30 centimetres (12 in) and has white sap. Leaves are paired and crowded near the ends of branches. They are oblong, leathery and a glossy dark green. Flowers are fragrant with white, somewhat twisted lobes, often with a pale yellow center and are set in small clusters at the ends of branches. The fruit is dark green, set in spreading pairs of ellipsoids or oval, beaked pods, up to 10 centimetres (4 in) in diameter. Its habitat is forests from sea level to 1,850 metres (6,000 ft) altitude. In Zimbabwe, it is usually found as part of the understorey of evergreen forests. Local medicinal uses include the treatment of wounds, fever and hypertension. The plant is native to tropical central and southern Africa.
Euclea crispa, commonly known as the blue guarri, is an Afrotropical plant species of the family Ebenaceae. The hardy and evergreen plants may form a dense stand of shrubs, or grow to tree size. It is widespread and common in the interior regions of southern Africa, and occurs northward to the tropics. Though some are present near the South African south and east coasts, they generally occur at middle to high altitudes. It is readily recognizable from its much-branched structure and dull bluish foliage colour. Those bearing lanceolate leaves may however resemble the Wild olive, another common species of the interior plateaus.
Pterocelastrus echinatus is a small Southern African tree occurring in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and Malawi. This species is found in montane and submontane evergreen forests, forest margins, rocky hillsides, and kloofs, growing between 600 and 2400 m above sea level.
Geissorhiza aspera, also known as the blue satin flower or blou sysie, is a geophyte from South Africa.
Acanthospermum glabratum, known as creeping starbur, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to southeastern Brazil.