Biology:Bridelia micrantha
| Mitzeerie | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fresh leaves of Bridelia micrantha from Amanzimtoti, South Africa | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Phyllanthaceae |
| Genus: | Bridelia |
| Species: | B. micrantha
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill.[2]
| |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Bridelia micrantha, the mitzeeri or the coastal golden-leaf, is a tree in the family Phyllanthaceae and is native to tropical and southern Africa as well as to the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean.[4]
Description
A medium to tall tree (up to 20 m),[5] with a dense widely spreading crown.[6] The leaves are large, alternate and simple.[5] The tree may be deciduous or evergreen.[7]
Habitat
They are found growing in coastal forests (such as KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Lowland Forest), riverine forest, swamp forest,[5] woodland and along forest margins.[7]
Native distribution
Bridelia micrantha is native to primarily tropical, northeast, western, west-central, and southern Africa (in Angola; Benin; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ethiopia;[5] Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Nigeria; Rwanda; São Tomé and Príncipe; Senegal; Sierra Leone; South Africa (in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga; and Eswatini);[5] Sudan; Tanzania (inclusive of the Zanzibar Archipelago); Togo; Uganda; Zambia; and Zimbabwe); and the western Indian Ocean island of Réunion.[7][8]
Ecological significance
Bridelia micrantha is a larval food plant for butterflies such as: Abantis paradisea, Charaxes castor flavifasciatus and Parosmodes morantii morantii,[9] and also the silkmoth Anaphe panda.[10]
Ethnobotanical medicinal use
Bridelia micrantha has been used locally in folk medicine, variously as an anti-abortifacient, an antidote, a laxative or purgative; and to treat diverse conditions of the central nervous system (headache), eye (infections, conjunctivitis), the gastrointestinal system (abdominal pain, constipation, gastritis), respiratory system (common cold), and the skin (scabies);[11] and used hygienically as a mouthwash.[11]
References
- ↑ Rivers, M.C.; Barstow, M.; Mark, J. (2017). "Bridelia micrantha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T61956569A61956571. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T61956569A61956571.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61956569/61956571. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ↑ Under its treatment as Bridelia micrantha (from the basionym Candelabria micrantha) this name was first published in Adansonia 3: 164. 1862. "Name - Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill.". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/12802896. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
- ↑ Synonymy for Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill. at Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ↑ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" (in en-GB). http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=24564.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Pooley, E. (1993). The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei. ISBN:0-620-17697-0.
- ↑ Radcliffe-Smith A. Flora of West Tropical Africa, Vol 1 Part 2.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Bridelia micrantha". Flora of Zimbabwe. http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=134700. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ↑ {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Bridelia micrantha | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = November 5, 2011 }}
- ↑ "Bridelia micrantha". http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/brideliamicrantha.htm.
- ↑ 2008 Research Paper: Spatial distribution of cocoon nests and egg clusters of the silkmoth Anaphe panda (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae) and its host plant Bridelia micrantha (Euphorbiaceae) in the Kakamega Forest of western Kenya. doi:10.1017/S1742758407859662
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 James A. Duke. "Bridelia micrantha (EUPHORBIACEAE)". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. https://phytochem.nal.usda.gov/phytochem/ethnoPlants/show/585. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q3644510 entry
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