''Terminalia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of large trees of the

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

family

Combretaceae The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, G ...

, comprising nearly 300

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

distributed in tropical regions of the world. The genus name derives from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word ''terminus'', referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots. Axlewood (''T. latifolia'') is used for its wood and

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...

s and as a

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food ...

. African birch (''T. leiocarpa'') is used for its wood and to make yellow dye and medicinal compounds. A yellow dyestuff produced from the leaves of ''T. leiocarpa'' has traditionally been used in West Africa to dye leather.

Selected species

There are 278 accepted ''Terminalia'' species as of July 2024 according to

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

. Selected species include: *'' Terminalia acuminata'' (Fr. Allem.) Eichl. *'' Terminalia albida'' Scott-Elliot *'' Terminalia amazonia'' (J.F.Gmel.) Exell – white olive *'' Terminalia anogeissiana'' – axlewood *'' Terminalia arbuscula'' Sw. *'' Terminalia archipelagi'' Coode *'' Terminalia arenicola'' *'' Terminalia arjuna'' (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight & Arn. – arjuna, koha, white marudah *'' Terminalia arostrata'' Ewart & O.B.Davies – crocodile tree *'' Terminalia australis'' Cambess – palo amarillo, tanimbú *'' Terminalia avicennioides'' *'' Terminalia bellirica'' (Gaertn.) Roxb. – beleric *'' Terminalia bentii'' *'' Terminalia bialata'' (Roxb.) Steud. –

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

, Philippines *'' Terminalia buceras'' *'' Terminalia bucidoides'' Standley & L.O.Williams *'' Terminalia bursarina'' – Bendee *'' Terminalia calamansanai'' (Blanco) Rolfe *'' Terminalia cambodiana'' *'' Terminalia canescens'' (DC.) Radlk. – jalool *'' Terminalia carolinensis'' Kaneh. *''

Terminalia catappa ''Terminalia catappa'' is a large Tropics, tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, ...

'' L. – Indian almond, tropical almond, umbrella tree *'' Terminalia chebula'' Retz. – black myrobalan, chebulic myrobalan, inknut *'' Terminalia cherrieri'' McKee *'' Terminalia circumalata'' F.Muell. *'' Terminalia cunninghamii'' C.A.Gardner – Pindan quondong *'' Terminalia dhofarica'' *'' Terminalia eddowesii'' Coode *'' Terminalia engleri'' Gere & Boatwr. – terenifù (West Africa to

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

) *''

Terminalia elliptica ''Terminalia elliptica'' (sin. ''Terminalia tormentosa'') is a species of '' Terminalia'' native to southern and southeast Asia in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.Sal and Saaj Deforestation in West Nepal"T ...

'' Willd. – Indian-laurel *'' Terminalia eriostachya'' A.Rich. *'' Terminalia ferdinandiana'' Exell – billygoat plum, Kakadu plum, gubinge *''

Terminalia fitzgeraldii ''Terminalia fitzgeraldii'' is a tree of the family ''Combretaceae'' native to Western Australia. The tree typically grows to a height of in height but can reach up to and is deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term de ...

'' C.A.Gardner *'' Terminalia glabrata'' *'' Terminalia grandiflora'' Benth. *'' Terminalia hadleyana'' W.Fitzg. *'' Terminalia ivorensis'' A.Chev. – idigbo, black afara, blackbark, brimstone wood, shingle wood *'' Terminalia januariensis'' DC. *'' Terminalia kaernbachii'' Warb. – okari nut *'' Terminalia kangeanensis'' Slooten – Kangean almond *'' Terminalia kuhlmannii'' Alwan & Stace *'' Terminalia kumpaja'' R.L.Barrett *'' Terminalia latifolia'' Sw. *'' Terminalia latipes'' Benth. *'' Terminalia leiocarpa'' *'' Terminalia littoralis'' L. *'' Terminalia macroptera'' Guill. & Perr. *'' Terminalia megalocarpa'' Exell *'' Terminalia microcarpa'' Decne. *'' Terminalia muelleri'' Benth. – Australian almond *'' Terminalia myriocarpa'' *'' Terminalia neotaliala'' – Madagascar almond tree *'' Terminalia nitens'' C.Presl *'' Terminalia novocaledonica'' Däniker *'' Terminalia oblongata'' F.Muell. *'' Terminalia paniculata'' Roth *'' Terminalia parviflora'' Thwaites *'' Terminalia pellucida'' C.Presl *'' Terminalia pendula'' (incorporating ''T. phillyreifolia'') *'' Terminalia petiolaris Benth. – ''marool'' *'' Terminalia platyphylla'' F.Muell. *'' Terminalia platyptera'' F.Muell. *'' Terminalia polycarpa'' *'' Terminalia porphyrocarpa'' *'' Terminalia prunioides'' *'' Terminalia reitzii'' Excell *'' Terminalia rerei'' Coode *'' Terminalia richii'' A.Gray *'' Terminalia rostrata'' *'' Terminalia schimperiana'' Hochst. *'' Terminalia sericea'' Burch. ex DC. – silver terminalia *'' Terminalia superba'' Engl. & Diels – limba *'' Terminalia triptera'' (syn. ''T. nigrovenulosa'' ) *'' Terminalia volucris'' Benth.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1469349 Myrtales genera Medicinal plants Pantropical flora Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus