| Xanthocercis | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Foliage and ripe fruit of X. zambesiaca | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Angylocalyceae |
| Genus: | Xanthocercis Baill. (1870) |
| Species [1] | |
| |
| Synonyms [1] | |
PseudocadiaHarms (1902) | |
Xanthocercis is a tree genus in the family Fabaceae. It includes three species native to sub-Saharan Africa. [1] [2] [3]
- Xanthocercis madagascariensis Baill. — endemic to Madagascar; [4] a deciduous tree, growing up to 30 metres tall. [5] The wood is highly valued, being harvested from the wild for local use and for export. The tree also provides an edible fruit that is used locally.
- Xanthocercis rabiensis Maesen [6] — endemic to Gabon; a large, evergreen tree growing up to 40 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be up to 300 cm in diameter.
- Xanthocercis zambesiaca (Baker) Dumaz-le-Grand (Mshatu tree) — native to Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe; [7] a large impressive, evergreen tree with an exceptional dense, rounded to wide-spreading crown of glossy, drooping, dark green leaves and sprays of small rose-scented, creamy white flowers. [8] It usually reaches 30m in height. [8] It is ideal for large gardens.
Members of this genus accumulate hydroxypipecolic acids and iminosugars in their leaves. [9]
