Trichilia

Trichilia
Trichilia emetica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Meliaceae
Subfamily:	Melioideae
Genus:	Trichilia P.Browne
Species
Many, see text

Trichilia is a flowering plant genus in the mahogany family. These plants are particularly diverse in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America.

Several species are used in folk medicine and shamanism – e.g. T. rubescens against malaria, T. tocacheana as a hallucinogen, and T. catigua in the aphrodisiac and stimulant catuaba. T. emetica wood, also known as Natal mahogany or Cape mahogany is the traditional material of choice for Mozambique's famous psikhelekedana miniature artists. Trichilia dregeana , or forest mahogany also yields timber and is also used in carvings, traditional African musical instruments, household implements, furniture, bats and canoes.

Taxonomy

The genus Trichilia was given its scientific name in 1756 by Patrick Browne. It is classified as part of Meliaceae, a family that is native to the Americas from Argentina to Mexico, Africa mainly south of the Sahara, and to the Arabian peninsula. The genus has 19 synonyms. ^[1]

Table of Synonyms

Name	Year
Acanthotrichilia(Urb.) O.F.Cook & G.N.Collins	1903
AcriliaGriseb.	1859
BarbilusP.Browne	1756
BarbylusJuss.	1789
BarolaAdans.	1763 (nom. illeg.)
BurserantheRizzini	1974
ElcajaForssk.	1775
GeniostephanusFenzl	1844
HeynichiaKunth	1844
MafureiraBertol.	1850
MoschoxylumA.Juss.	1830
OdontandraWilld. ex Schult.	1819
OdontosiphonM.Roem.	1846
PholaciliaGriseb.	1859
PortesiaCav.	1789
RochetiaDelile	1846
SymphytosiphonHarms	1896
TorpesiaM.Roem.	1846
AilantopsisGagnep.	1944

According to Plants of the World Online there are 109 accepted species: ^[1]

• Trichilia acuminata (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Schult.) C.DC.
• Trichilia adolfi Harms
• Trichilia amapaensis T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia americana (Sessé & Moc.) T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia appendiculata (Triana & Planch.) C.DC.
• Trichilia aquifolia P.Wilson
• Trichilia arenaria T.B.Flores & V.C.Souza
• Trichilia areolata T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia blanchetii C.DC.
• Trichilia breviflora S.F.Blake & Standl.
• Trichilia bullata T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia capitata Klotzsch
• Trichilia casarettoi C.DC.
• Trichilia catigua A.Juss.
• Trichilia cauliflora J.-F.Leroy & Lescot
• Trichilia chirriactensis (Standl. & Steyerm.) T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia cipo (A.Juss.) C.DC.
• Trichilia claussenii C.DC.
• Trichilia congesta T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia dazae T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia discolor A.Juss.
• Trichilia djalonis A.Chev.
• Trichilia dregeana Sond.
• Trichilia elegans A.Juss.
• Trichilia elsae Harms
• Trichilia emarginata (Turcz.) C.DC.
• Trichilia emetica Vahl
• Trichilia erythrocarpa Lundell
• Trichilia euneura C.DC.
• Trichilia fasciculata T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia florbranca T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia gamopetala T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia gilgiana Harms
• Trichilia gilletii De Wild.
• Trichilia glabra L.
• Trichilia grandifolia Oliv.
• Trichilia havanensis Jacq.
• Trichilia hirta L.
• Trichilia hispida T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia humblotii Harms
• Trichilia inaequilatera T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia laxipaniculata Cuatrec.
• Trichilia lecointei Ducke
• Trichilia lepidota Mart.
• Trichilia lovettii Cheek
• Trichilia magnifoliola T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia martiana C.DC.
• Trichilia martineaui Aubrév. & Pellegr.
• Trichilia mazanensis J.F.Macbr.
• Trichilia megalantha Harms
• Trichilia micrantha Benth.
• Trichilia micropetala T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia minima T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia minutiflora Standl.
• Trichilia monacantha Urb.
• Trichilia monadelpha (Thonn.) J.J.de Wilde
• Trichilia moschata Sw.
• Trichilia mucronata (Cav.) Forsyth f.
• Trichilia multifoliola C.DC.
• Trichilia obovata W.Palacios
• Trichilia oligantha C.DC.
• Trichilia ornithothera J.J.de Wilde
• Trichilia pachypoda (Rusby) C.DC. ex Harms
• Trichilia pallens C.DC.
• Trichilia pallida Sw.
• Trichilia petenensis Lundell
• Trichilia pittieri C.DC.
• Trichilia pleeana (A.Juss.) C.DC.
• Trichilia poeppigii C.DC.
• Trichilia prieureana A.Juss.
• Trichilia primogenita W.Palacios
• Trichilia pseudostipularis (A.Juss.) C.DC.
• Trichilia pugana V.W.Steinm. & Ram.-Amezcua
• Trichilia pungens Urb.
• Trichilia quadrijuga Kunth
• Trichilia quadrivalvis C.DC.
• Trichilia ramalhoi Rizzini
• Trichilia reticulata P.Wilson
• Trichilia retusa Oliv.
• Trichilia reynelii T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia rubescens Oliv.
• Trichilia rubra C.DC.
• Trichilia sambiranensis Callm. & Phillipson
• Trichilia schomburgkii C.DC.
• Trichilia septentrionalis C.DC.
• Trichilia silvatica C.DC.
• Trichilia singularis C.DC.
• Trichilia solitudinis Harms
• Trichilia stellatotomentosa Kuntze
• Trichilia stenophylla Urb. & Ekman
• Trichilia stipitata T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia surinamensis (Miq.) C.DC.
• Trichilia surumuensis C.DC.
• Trichilia taubertiana Harms
• Trichilia tenuifructa T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia tessmannii Harms
• Trichilia tetrapetala C.DC.
• Trichilia tomentosa Kunth
• Trichilia trachyantha (Griseb.) C.DC.
• Trichilia triacantha Urb.
• Trichilia trifolia L.
• Trichilia trimera T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia tsaratananensis Lescot
• Trichilia tuberculata (Triana & Planch.) C.DC.
• Trichilia ulei C.DC.
• Trichilia vestigialis T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia watorikensis T.D.Penn.
• Trichilia welwitschii C.DC.
• Trichilia zewaldae J.J.de Wilde

References

1. "Trichilia P.Browne". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 8 November 2025.

External links

• Data related to Trichilia at Wikispecies
• Media related to Trichilia at Wikimedia Commons