''Distemonanthus'' is a genus 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, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. It belongs to the subfamily

Dialioideae The subfamily Dialioideae is one of the subdivisions of the plant family Fabaceae (legumes). This subfamily includes many tropical trees and shrubs. The subfamily consists of 17 genera, which are widespread throughout the tropics. It has the foll ...

. It contains a single species, ''Distemonanthus benthamianus'', a deciduous tree, which occurs widely but sparsely in the forest regions of Tropical West and Central Africa; it is sometimes confused with '' Pericopsis laxiflora'' due to similar morphological features. Mature

heartwood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

has a moderate resistance to fungi.

Description

A big tree, it grows up to 40 meters tall and 90 cm in diameter. Trunk is straight but can sometimes be slightly sinuous; fairly spreading buttress roots at the base, free of branches for up to 20 meters. Bark, brown - reddish brown. Leaves, pinnately compound arrangement, 7 - 10 leaflets. Leaf-blade, ovate - elliptical in outline. Fruit, indehiscent pods

Distribution

Tree grows in the high forest of

West West 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 Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

. Occurs in Gabon, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon. In Gabon, it is known as Movingui.

Uses

Parts of the root is used as a chewing stick for dental hygiene in parts of Nigeria. Bark extracts are used to treat incidents of diarrhea by traditional health practitioners. Used also for decorative veneers and joinery.

References

Dialioideae Monotypic Fabaceae genera Flora of the Afrotropical realm {{Fabaceae-stub