Conocarpus lancifolius

Conocarpus lancifolius
Conocarpus lancifolius fruit
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 2.3) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Combretaceae
Genus:	Conocarpus
Species:	C. lancifolius
Binomial name
Conocarpus lancifolius Engl.
Synonyms [2] [3]
Conocarpus niloticusDelile ex Steud.

Conocarpus lancifolius, one of two species in the genus Conocarpus , is a tree in the family Combretaceae native to coastal and riverine areas of Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen. It is found throughout the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia.

The tree has no common name in English. In Somali, it is called qalab or dhamas; in Arabic, the name is damas. It is also commonly found in residential compounds in Dubai.

Conocarpus lancifolius tree with flowers and fruits

Uses

The tree's wood is dense and suitable for charcoal. Goats use the young trees and shoots as fodder, although the leaves contain tannin. Because of its high salt tolerance and relative drought tolerance, the tree is sometimes planted as a pioneer species in reafforestation projects in its native habitat. The tree has a symmetrical growth habit and can easily be shaped into a variety of different forms. It can be shaped into short and tall hedges, and is effective for creating a visual or a noise barrier. With suitable plant spacing it can also be grown as a hardy single-stemmed tree which is good for shade. The tree has been extensively used in Karachi for landscaping along roads and by homeowners as a tall hedging tree for screening purposes. The tree thrives exceptionally well in the hot and dry climate of the city. The leaves of conocarpus lancifolius have an antidiabetic effect.

Conocarpus lancifolius flower

References

1. World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). "Conocarpus lancifolius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1998 e.T37883A10078602. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T37883A10078602.en . Retrieved 31 May 2023.
2. "Conocarpus lancifolius Engl". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
3. "Conocarpus lancifolius Engl". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved May 31, 2023.

• Raza SA, Chaudhary AR, Mumtaz MW, Adnan A, Mukhtar H, Akhtar MT. Metabolite profiling and antidiabetic attributes of ultrasonicated leaf extracts of Conocarpus lancifolius. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. 2020 Aug 1;10(8):353.

External links

• Agroforestry in Kenya
• Bamburi Nature Trail