Newtonia hildebrandtii

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Newtonia hildebrandtii
Newtonia hildebrandtii Nibela Peninsula 24 05 2011.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Newtonia
Species:
N. hildebrandtii
Binomial name
Newtonia hildebrandtii

Newtonia hildebrandtii, the Lebombo wattle (Afrikaans : Lebombowattel, Zulu : Umfomothi), [1] is a medium-sized tree native to eastern Africa. It is a protected tree in South Africa. [1]

Contents

Description

Sand Forest, St Lucia Park Newtonia hildebrandtii00.jpg
Sand Forest, St Lucia Park

Newtonia hildebrandtii is a medium-sized tree growing to a height of about 25 m (80 ft). The trunk is usually rough, and the small branchlets and twigs are puberulous (densely covered with very short soft hairs) when young. The leaves are bi-pinnate and up to 8 cm (3 in) long, each leaf having four to seven pairs of pinnae, and each pinna having six to nineteen pairs of leaflets. There is usually a gland between each pair of pinnae. The leaflets are linear or oblong and up to 11 by 3 mm (0.43 by 0.12 in) long, with the underside often having raised lateral nerves. The inflorescence is a spike up to 8 cm (3 in) long composed of whitish or creamy flowers, which are followed by flattened pods up to 30 cm (12 in) long. [2] [3]

Distribution and habitat

This tree is found in eastern Africa, its range extending from Kenya and Tanzania, through Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia, to Mozambique, Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. [3] Generally a tree of riverside forests, it also grows in sandy areas with a high water table, at altitudes of up to about 1,100 m (3,600 ft); [2] these include the Southern African Sand Forest. [4]

Uses

The timber of Newtonia hildebrandtii is used for building construction and for making poles and implements, and for carving. The wood burns well and makes good-quality charcoal. [2] Products from the tree are also used in traditional medicine; an extract of the roots is used against worms, and an extract from the bark has been shown to have antimicrobial activity against a range of pathogens. [5]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Protected Trees" (PDF). Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Republic of South Africa. 3 May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Louppe, Dominique (2008). Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. PROTA. p. 397. ISBN   978-90-5782-209-4.
  3. 1 2 "Newtonia hildebrandtii (Vatke) Torre". Plants of the World Online. Kewscience. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  4. Wayne Matthews. "Maputaland's Tembe Elephant National Park – a little known reserve with many natural secrets" . Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  5. Fern, Ken. "Newtonia hildebrandtii (Vatke) Torre". Tropical Plants Database. Retrieved 22 July 2019.