''Annickia polycarpa'' is a small to medium-sized tree found in evergreen forests of West and Central Africa, it is within the

Annonaceae The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...

family. It is also called the African Yellow wood.

Description

''Annickia polycarpa'' is a small to medium-sized tree capable of reaching 20 meters tall and 40 cm in diameter. Bark is usually smooth and occasionally, somewhat rough, fairly thick, with fibrous inner bark, black to greenish in color. Petiole is sparsely pubescent, 3–8 mm long; leaf-blade is oblong, elliptical or obovate in outline with a papery surface, 5–27 cm long and 4–8 cm wide, acuminate at the apex and rounded at the base, covered with stellate hairs below. Solitary flowers on young shoots, pedicel is 0.9-1.9 cm long; sepal: three, triangular shaped, pubescent on the outside, inside is slightly pubescent, petals: yellow when fresh, elliptic in outline, up to 3 cm long. Flowering season is between July and August.

Distribution

Commonly occurs in the forest regions of

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

and Central Africa, from Sierra Leone to Cameroon; in Ivory Coast, it grows as an understorey in dense forests.

Chemistry

Bark extracts shows presence of quinolic and isoquinolic class of alkaloids; compounds extracted from leaves and bark of the species have been reported to contain corydaldine, aporphinoids,

berberine Berberine is a quaternary ammonium salt from the protoberberine group of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids found in such plants as ''Berberis vulgaris'' (barberry), ''Berberis aristata'' (tree turmeric), ''Mahonia aquifolium'' (Oregon grape), ''Hydra ...

s and protoberberine groups of alkaloids, .

Uses

Bark extracts are used by

herbalists Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

in traditional treatment of malaria related symptoms, ulcers and leprous spots. Stem bark is used for constructing huts, and dye obtained from the species is used for dyeing cloths, mats and leather.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15399949 Annonaceae Flora of West Tropical Africa Flora of Ivory Coast