''Anthonotha macrophylla'' is a shrub to small
understory
In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the Canopy (biology), forest ca ...
tree within the family
Fabaceae
Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,[International Code of Nomen ...](_blank)
. It is endemic to the rain forest regions of West Africa and it is the most common of species within the ''
Anthonotha
''Anthonotha'' is a genus within the subfamily Detarioideae of the plant family Fabaceae.
Taxonomic history
The first species of the genus was described in 1806 by Palisot de Beauvois based on a specimen collected in West Africa and named ''Anth ...
'' genus in Africa.
Description
A shrub or small sized tree with a spreading crown that can grow up to 20 m tall and reach a diameter of 60 cm, its branches are greyish to pale-brown in color, they are sometimes glabrescent or with short appressed hairs.
Leaves paripinnately compound arranged with 2–4 pairs of leaflets per pinnae, petiole and rachis are somewhat
terete
Terete is a term in botany used to describe a cross section (geometry), cross section that is circular, or like a distorted circle, with a single surface wrapping around it.Lichen Vocabulary, Lichens of North America Information, Sylvia and S ...
, the former is 1–7 cm long, and the latter is 2.5–11 cm long; leaflets are obovate to elliptic in outline. Inflorescence is a loose raceme panicle, axillary flowered on shoot or below leaves; pedicel is 3–8 mm long,
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
eoles can be up to 1 mm thick with an elliptical outline and glabrous edges, petal is white to yellow in color. Fruit is an elliptical to oblong pod, dark brown to blackish in color, 4–7 seeded.
Distribution
Occurs in the forest environments of
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
from Senegal eastwards to the Central African regions.
Uses
Seed is used in some food preparations, stem bark is used to treat venereal and intestinal ailments and a leaf decoction is used to teat jaundice, Stems are used as staking materials for yam and wood is obtained as firewood.
References
{{taxonbar, from1=Q15524555
Flora of West Tropical Africa
macrophylla