Strychnos spinosa
| Strychnos spinosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Loganiaceae |
| Genus: | Strychnos |
| Species: | S. spinosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Strychnos spinosa | |
Strychnos spinosa (Bambara: Kankoroba) is a tree indigenous to tropical and subtropical Africa. It produces juicy, sweet-sour, yellow fruits, containing numerous hard brown seeds. Greenish-white flowers grow in dense heads at the ends of branches (Sep-Feb/Spring - summer). The fruits tend to appear only after good rains. It is related to the deadly Strychnos nux-vomica, which contains strychnine. The smooth, hard fruit are large and green, ripen to yellow colour. Inside the fruit are tightly packed seeds (toxic?) surrounded by a fleshy, edible covering. Animals such as baboon, monkeys, bushpig, nyala and eland eat the fruit. The leaves are a popular food source for browsers such as duiker, kudu, impala, steenbok, nyala and elephant. It is believed that various insects pollinate the flowers.
Common names: Natal orange,[1] spiny orange, green monkey orange (English), Doringklapper (Afrikaans), Morapa (NS) umKwakwa (Swaziland), Nsala (Tswana), Mutamba (Shona), Maboque (Angola), Eguni (sing)/Maguni (pl) (Namibia), iHlala (isiZulu), Kikwakwa (Kiswahili), Massala (Mozambique Portuguese), Maku (Tiv), Fole (Guinea Bissau), Ichisongole (Zambia).
Distribution
This tree can be found growing singly in well-drained soils. It is found in bushveld, riverine fringes, sand forest and coastal bush from the Eastern Cape to Kwazulu-Natal northwards to Mozambique, and inland to Swaziland, Zimbabwe, northern Botswana northern Namibia, Angola to tropical Africa, and north west Madagascar. It is able to grow in semi-arid and arid lands.
Uses
A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known fruit has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.[2]
- The wood can be used for general carpentry. Timber from this tree is also used to produce implement handles, fighting sticks and hut poles. It is also used for carving.
- The species has recently been introduced into Israel as a potential new commercial crop.
- The fruit may be used as a supplementary source of food by rural people during times of shortage.
Medicinal Uses
The plant taken alone or in conjunction with extracts of other plants, are used by the Tiv of Nigeria for treating snakebite, increasing flow of breastmilk in lactating mothers, treatment of venereal disease and enhancing physical strength[3] A known iridoid, Sarracenin, has been isolated from the root bark of (Strychnos spinosa Lam.)[4]
Ripe fruit of the Strychnos spinosa tree.
Dried out fruit of the Strychnos spinosa tree.
References
- ↑ "Strychnos spinosa". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ↑ National Research Council (2008-01-25). "Monkey Oranges". Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits. Lost Crops of Africa. 3. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-10596-5. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ↑ Tor-Anyiin T. A; Igoli J. O; Anyam J. V; et al. (April 2015). "ISOLATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF SARRACENIN FROM ROOT BARK OF (Strychnos spinosa Lam.),". J. Chem.Soc.Nigeria. 40 (1): 71–75.
- ↑ Tor-Anyiin T. A; Igoli J. O; Anyam J. V; et al. (April 2015). "ISOLATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF SARRACENIN FROM ROOT BARK OF (Strychnos spinosa Lam.),". J. Chem.Soc.Nigeria. 40 (1): 71–75.
External links
- Sitrit Y, Loison S, Ninio R, et al. (October 2003). "Characterization of monkey orange (Strychnos spinosa Lam.), a potential new crop for arid regions". J. Agric. Food Chem. 51 (21): 6256–60. doi:10.1021/jf030289e. PMID 14518952.
- plantzafrica description
- New Fruits for Arid Climates
- Strychnos spinosa information from NPGS/GRIN
- FAO: State of Forest Genetic Resources in Kenya