Xylopia acutiflora

Xylopia acutiflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Annonaceae
Genus:	Xylopia
Species:	X. acutiflora
Binomial name
Xylopia acutiflora A. Richard
Synonyms
Unona acutiflora Dunal Coelocline acutiflora (Dunal) Xylopicrum acutiflorum (Dunal) K Unona oxypetala Candolle ex Dunal Coelocline? oxypetala (Candolle ex Dunal) Xylopia oxypetala (Candolle ex Dunal)

Xylopia acutiflora (Dunal.) A. Rich is a small tree that grows up to 15 m high, it belongs to the Annonaceae family.

Description

Brown pubescent twigs mixed with erect and short hairs. Leaf blades chartaceous, concolorous - slightly discolorous, elliptic - elliptic-lanceolate, larger blades, 5.3 - 11.7 cm long and 2.3 - 4.3 cm wide; acute to acuminate at apex and cuneate at base. Flowers are solitary ^[1] Fruit green - reddish tinged exterior, scarlet endocarp, up to born on a pedicel. Seed, ovate- ellipsoid, monocarps have two rows of seed. ^[1]

Distribution

Native to West Africa, found in lowland forests. ^[2]

Uses

In Ghana and among the Ehotile people of Akanland, root extracts from the species is used as a sexual stimulant and as a chewing stick. ^[3] Seeds are crushed and used as spice, wood obtained are used as material to make canoe paddles, spears or bows.

References

1. Johnson, David M.; Murray, Nancy A. (2018-04-24). "A revision of Xylopia L. (Annonaceae): the species of Tropical Africa". PhytoKeys (97): 1–252. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.97.20975 . ISSN   1314-2003. PMC   10865103 .
2. Hasan, Choudhury M.; Healey, Terence M.; Waterman, Peter G. (1985). "Acutifloric acid: A diterpene dimer from the stem bark of Xylopia acutiflora" . Phytochemistry. 24 (1): 192–194. Bibcode:1985PChem..24..192H. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80841-9.
3. Malan, Djah F; Neuba, Danho F R; Kouakou, Kouakou L (2015). "Medicinal plants and traditional healing practices in ehotile people, around the aby lagoon (eastern littoral of Côte d'Ivoire)". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 11 (1): 21. doi: 10.1186/s13002-015-0004-8 . ISSN   1746-4269. PMC   4391329 . PMID   25888765.