Misplaced Pages

Thilachium africanum

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Species of plant

Thilachium africanum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Capparaceae
Genus: Thilachium
Species: T. africanum
Binomial name
Thilachium africanum
Lour.

Thilachium africanum is a shrub or small tree within the family Capparaceae. It is found in Eastern and Southern Africa, from Kenya to Northeastern parts of South Africa and also in Madagascar

Description

The species grows up to 7 meters tall with tuberous roots; branches are brown or grey and lenticellate. Leaves: simple or 3-foliate; leaflets obovate to elliptic in outline and with a leathery surface, the leaflets are about 3-9 cm long and 1-5 cm wide, apex is obtuse to rounded while base is cuneate to rounded. Inflorescence is terminal or axillary raceme like, white and green with spreading and wavy stamens. Fruit is cucumber like in shape, ellipsoid and up to 6 cm long and contains numerous seeds.

Distribution

Occurs in deciduous forests, opens woodland and riverine forests of Eastern Africa and in thickets.

Uses

Extracts of the species are used in preparations to ease pain, bark extracts are used to treat snake bites and diarrhoea among the Samburu people of Kenya. The tuberous roots are boiled and then drained a few times to reduce toxicity.

References

  1. "Thilachium africanum Lour. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  2. ^ Schmidt, Ernst (2002). Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Mervyn Lotter, Warren McCleland, John Burrow. Johannesburg: Jacana. ISBN 1-919777-30-X. OCLC 51322213.
  3. ^ "Edible wild plants of Tanzania". World Agroforestry | Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  4. ^ Ndakala, Albert J. (1995). Essential oils of some plants of the family capparidaceae. as repellents for the brown ear tick, rhipicephalus appendiculatus and the maize weevil, sitophilus zeamais (Thesis thesis).
Taxon identifiers
Thilachium africanum
Categories: