''Croton sylvaticus'' is a tree in the family ''

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae (), the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of Euphorbia, the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', ar ...

''. It is commonly known as the forest fever-berry. These trees are distributed in forests from the east coast of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Tropical Africa The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...

. It grows in height, occasionally up to , in moist forests, thickets and forest edges at altitudes of .

Flowers and fruit

Greenish cream flowers, up to long (all male or female or mixed flowers), in

racemes A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the shoo ...

, long. Fruit, light green when young, turning to orange or red, trilobed, oval in shape, hairy.

Uses

Used as a general timber, for poles, posts and as a fuel.

Phytochemistry

Mwangi et al 1998 find β-caryophyllene oxide, α-humulene-1,2-epoxide, hardwickiic acid, β-sitosterol and

stigmasterol Stigmasterol – a plant sterol (''phytosterol'') – is among the most abundant of plant sterols, having a major function to maintain the structure and physiology of cell membranes. In the European Union, it is a food additive listed with E nu ...

in the

extract An extract (essence) is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or absolutes or dried and powdered. The aromatic principles of ma ...

s. This contrasts with Sadgrove et al 2019 who find almost entirely bicyclogermacrene in the

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

Traditional medicine

Sap from leaves is used for healing cuts, bark is used in the treatment of

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

, a

decoction Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal medicine systems. D ...

from the bark of the roots is taken orally as a remedy for

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, an

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...

of the leaves acts as a

purgative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

.Field Guide to Common Trees & Shrubs of

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

by Najma Dharani,

Struik Publishers Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was originally founded in 1935 and Random House was fou ...

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, 2002,

Gallery

Croton sylvaticus 50D 0606.jpg, Tree Croton sylvaticus leaves.JPG, Leaves Croton_sylvaticus_autumn.JPG, Foliated sprigs Croton sylvaticus.jpg, Crown Croton sylvaticus young stem.JPG, Young stem Croton sylvaticus 29 06 2010.JPG, Flower buds on inflorescence Croton sylvaticus flower 17 11 2010.JPG, Flower Croton sylvaticus fruit 13 12 2010.JPG, Fruit Croton sylvaticus 1DS-II 4-0942.jpg, Fruit Croton sylvaticus seeds, by Omar Hoftun.jpg, Seeds

References