Xylopia aethiopica

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Xylopia aethiopica
Xylopia aethiopica leaf.jpg
Xylopia aethiopica plant
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Xylopia
Species:
X. aethiopica
Binomial name
Xylopia aethiopica

Xylopia aethiopica is an evergreen, aromatic tree, of the Annonaceae family that can grow up to 20m high. It is a native to the lowland rainforest and moist fringe forests in the savanna zones of Africa.

Contents

The dried fruits of X. aethiopica (grains of Selim) are used as a spice and an herbal medicine.

Etymology

Xylopia is a compression from Greek ξυλον πικρον (xylon pikron) meaning "bitter wood". The second part of the plant's binomial name, aethiopica, refers to the origin of the tree, in Ethiopia, though currently it grows most prominently as a crop in Ghana, Togo and other parts of West Africa . [3]

Distribution

Xylopia aethiopica grows in tropical Africa. It is present in rain forests, especially near the coast. It also grows in riverine and fringing forest, and as a pioneer species in arid savanna regions. [4]

This species is present in the following countries:

Uses

The dried fruit of Xylopia aethiopica, used as a spice called Grains of Selim. Xylopiaaethiopica.jpg
The dried fruit of Xylopia aethiopica, used as a spice called Grains of Selim.

Xylopia aethiopica is used extensively in construction, African cuisine and traditional medicine.

The plant's bark is used to make doors and partitions. The wood is known to be resistant to termite attack and is used in hut construction: posts, scantlings, roof-ridges and joists. The wood is also used for boat construction: masts, oars, paddles and spars. In Togo and Gabon, wood was traditionally used to make bows and crossbows for hunters and warriors. [6]

An infusion of the plant's bark or fruit has been useful in the treatment of bronchitis and dysenteric conditions, or as a mouthwash to treat toothaches. It has also been used as a medicine for biliousness and febrile pains. The bark, when steeped in palm wine, is used to treat asthma, stomach-aches and rheumatism. [6]

In Senegal, the fruit is used to flavor café Touba, a coffee drink that is the country's spiritual beverage and the traditional drink of the Mouride brotherhood. [10] In the Middle Ages the fruit was exported to Europe as a 'pepper.' In the eastern part of Nigeria, the plant's fruit is an essential ingredient in preparation of local soups to aid new mothers in breastfeeding. It remains an important item of local trade throughout Africa as a spice, and flavouring for food and for medicine. The fruit is sometimes put into jars of water for purification purposes. [6]

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The Annonaceae are a family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest family in the Magnoliales. Several genera produce edible fruit, most notably Annona, Anonidium, Asimina, Rollinia, and Uvaria. Its type genus is Annona. The family is concentrated in the tropics, with few species found in temperate regions. About 900 species are Neotropical, 450 are Afrotropical, and the remaining are Indomalayan.

<i>Cananga odorata</i> Species of tree

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<i>Schinus molle</i> Species of tree

Schinus molle is an evergreen tree that grows to 15 meters. It is native to an area from the Peruvian Andes to southern Brazil. The bright pink fruits of Schinus molle are often sold as "pink peppercorns" although S. molle is unrelated to black pepper. The word molle in Schinus molle comes from mulli, the Quechua word for the tree. The tree is host to the pepper-tree moth, Bombycomorpha bifascia.

<i>Monodora myristica</i> Species of tree

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<i>Corynanthe johimbe</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Balanites aegyptiaca</i> Species of tree

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<i>Pycnanthus angolensis</i> Species of tree

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grains of Selim</span> Spice similar to black pepper

Grains of Selim are the seeds of a shrubby tree, Xylopia aethiopica, found in Africa. The seeds have a musky flavor and are used as a spice in a manner similar to black pepper, and as a flavouring agent that defines café Touba, the dominant style of coffee in Senegal. It is also known as Senegal pepper, Ethiopian pepper, and (historically) Moor pepper and Negro pepper. It also has many names in native languages of Africa, the most common of which is diarr in the Wolof language. It is called 'Etso' in the Ewe language of Ghana and Togo. It is sometimes referred to as African pepper or Guinea pepper, but these are ambiguous terms that may refer to Ashanti pepper and grains of paradise, among others.

<i>Café Touba</i> Coffee drink flavored with grains of Selim

Café Touba is a coffee beverage that is a popular traditional drink of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, and is named for the city of Touba, Senegal.

<i>Cola nitida</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Xylopia vielana</i> Species of tree

Xylopia vielana is a tree species described by Pierre; it is included in the genus Xylopia and family Annonaceae. No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life.

Xylopia benthamii is a species of flowering plant of the genus Xylopia, described by Robert Elias Fries in 1900. It contains one subspecies: Xylopia benthamii dolichopetala. The species is native to Venezuela, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Basin forest–savanna mosaic</span>

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

<i>Xylopia nitida</i> Species of flowering plant

Xylopia nitida is a species of plant in the Annonaceae family. It is native to Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. Michel Félix Dunal, the botanist who first formally described the species, named it after the shiny upper surface of its leaves.

<i>Xylopia quintasii</i> Species of plant

Xylopia quintasii is an evergreen tree, of the family Annonaceae that grows 20-25 metres tall. Xylopia quintasii can tolerate temperatures above at least 1°C. Its leaves are oblanceolate and petiolate. Xylopia quintasii produces six star-shaped flowers. Xylopia quintasii is native to West Africa. It is known as Aghako in Ghana and Mvomba in Cameroon.

References

  1. ↑ Harvey-Brown, Y. (2019). "Xylopia aethiopica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T137017018A149068646. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T137017018A149068646.en . Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Xylopia aethiopica". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Orwa; et al. (2009). "Xylopia aethiopica" (PDF). Agroforestry Database 4.0. World Agroforestry Center. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A.Rich". African Plant Database. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 Harris, D.J.; Moutsamboté, J.-M.; Kami, E.; Florence, J.; Bridgewater, S. & Wortley, A.H. (2011). "An introduction to the trees from the North of the Republic Congo". Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Burkill, Humphrey Morrison (1985). Entry for Xylopia aethiopica Dunal A. Rich.: family ANNONACEAE. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol 1. JSTOR. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Mitani, M. 1999. Does fruiting phenology vary with fruit syndrome? An investigation on animal-dispersed tree species in an evergreen forest in south-western Cameroon. Ecological Research, 14:371-383.
  8. 1 2 Missouri Botanical Garden. "Distributions:Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich". Tropicos.org. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Robson, N. K. B. (1960). "Entry for Xylopia aethiopica Dunal A. Rich.: family ANNONACEAE". Flora Zambesiaca. JSTOR. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  10. ↑ BBC Afrique (15 August 2012). "Café Touba, du bonheur plein la tasse" (Reprint) (in French). seneweb.com. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
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