Bridelia micrantha
| Mitzeerie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fresh leaves of Bridelia micrantha from Amanzimtoti, South Africa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Phyllanthaceae |
| Tribe: | Bridelieae |
| Genus: | Bridelia |
| Species: | B. micrantha |
| Binomial name | |
| Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill.[1] | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Bridelia micrantha, the Mitzeeri or the Coastal Golden-leaf, is a tree in the Phyllanthaceae family and is native to tropical and southern Africa as well as to the Island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean.[3]
Description
A medium to tall tree (up to 20 m),[4] with a dense widely spreading crown.[5] The leaves are large, alternate and simple.[4] The tree may be deciduous or evergreen.[6]
Habitat
They are found growing in coastal forests (such as KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Lowland Forest), riverine forest, swamp forest,[4] woodland and along forest margins.[6]
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;[4] Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Nigeria; Rwanda; São Tomé & Príncipe; Senegal; Sierra Leone; South Africa (in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga; and Swaziland);[4] Sudan; Tanzania (inclusive of the Zanzibar Archipelago); Togo; Uganda; Zambia; and Zimbabwe); and the western Indian Ocean island of Réunion.[6][7]
Ecological significance
Bridelia micrantha is a larval food plant for butterflies such as: Abantis paradisea, Charaxes castor flavifasciatus and Parosmodes morantii morantii,[8] and also the silkmoth Anaphe panda.[9]
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); [10] and used hygienically as a mouthwash.[10]
References
- ↑ 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. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
- ↑ Synonymy for Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill. at Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- 1 2 3 4 5 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.
- 1 2 3 "Bridelia micrantha". Flora of Zimbabwe. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ↑ GRIN (January 30, 2002). "Bridelia micrantha information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/brideliamicrantha.htm, retrieved 02 September 2010
- ↑ 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
- 1 2 James A. Duke. "Bridelia micrantha (EUPHORBIACEAE)". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Retrieved November 5, 2011.