Burkea africana
| Burkea africana | ||||||||||||
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Burkea africana |
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Burkea | ||||||||||||
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| Burkea africana | ||||||||||||
| Hook. |
Burkea africana is the only plant species of the genus Burkea in the subfamily carob family (Caesalpinioideae) within the legume family (Fabaceae). It is widespread on the African continent.
description
Burkea africana grows as a deciduous, medium-sized tree and reaches heights of usually 8 to 12, more rarely up to 20 meters. Its bark is gray to black. The treetop is spread out and flat on top.
The alternate arranged on the branches leaves are 10 to 35 cm long, pubescent or bare and bipinnate with two to four pairs Fiedern first order. Each first-order leaflet has five to 18 leaflets. The pinna leaflets are at a length of 2 to 5 cm and a width of 1.2 to 3 cm oval and initially silvery with brown spots.
The hanging, 7 to 30 cm long total inflorescence is composed of racemose partial inflorescences. The sitting, fragrant, cream-white flowers have a diameter of 6 mm.
The very flat legumes are elliptical with a length of 3 to 6 cm and a width of 2 to 3 cm and contain a single seed.
Occurrence
Burkea africana is widespread in tropical Africa and in subtropical areas south to Namibia, Botswana and the South African provinces of Limpopo, North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. It is a common and characteristic tree of sandy soils in dry scrub and woodland, the savannah regions of Africa .
Systematics
The genus Burkea was set up in 1843 by William Jackson Hooker in Hooker's Icones Plantarum , Plate 593-594 with the species Burkea africana . Two types have been validly described. The generic name Burkea honors Joseph Burke , who collected it in the Magalies Mountains in South Africa in the 1840s , and the specific epithet africana refers to the African continent on which this species is widespread.
The monotypic genus Burkea currently contains only the single species Burkea africana Hook. The genus Burkea belongs to the tribe Caesalpinieae in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae within the family of the Fabaceae .
use
The poisonous bark contains plenty of alkaloids and tannins and is used for tanning leather.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Plantzafrica : Burkea africana .
- ^ M. Arbonnier: Arbres, arbustes et lianes des zones sèches d'Afrique de l'Ouest. CIRAD. Montpellier 2000, ISBN 2-87614-431-X
- ^ Entry bi Tropicos .
- ↑ Entry bi GRIN.
Web links
- Burkea africana . In: U. Brunken, M. Schmidt, S. Dressler, T. Janssen, A. Thiombiano, G. Zizka: West African plants - A Photo Guide. Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main 2008.