''Piliostigma reticulatum'', also known as camel's foot, is a

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

in the

Cercidoideae Cercidoideae is a subfamily in the pea family, Fabaceae. Well-known members include ''Cercis'' (redbuds), including species widely cultivated as ornamental trees in the United States and Europe, '' Bauhinia'', widely cultivated as an ornamental t ...

subfamily. It occurs throughout western tropical Africa to Ethiopia. The species has been shown to be useful as an

intercrop Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice that involves the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field, a form of polyculture. The most common goal of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land ...

for crops such as

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

in the

Sahel The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...

Description

A perennial

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

species, it is capable of growing up to 10 m tall. The plant has a deeply fissured to cracked grey bark and fibrous slash turning brown . It has alternate leaves that are bilobed in outline, the lobes are rounded to cuneate; leaf-blade is 5–11 cm long and 4–18 cm wide, petiole is 1-3.5 cm long, the leaf surface is leathery and glabrous. Inflorescence is either terminal or axillary panicles with white-pink striped flowers. Fruit is a glabrous pod.

Distribution

Widespread in the

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

and

savannah regions of West Africa, east towards Sudan.

Ecology

In West African Sahel environments, research identified that some cropped fields with ''Piliostigma reticulatum'' and '' Guiera senegalensis'' have better

soil quality Soil quality refers to the condition of soil based on its capacity to perform ecosystem services that meet the needs of human and non-human life.Tóth, G., Stolbovoy, V. and Montanarella, 2007. Soil Quality and Sustainability Evaluation - An integ ...

than fields without these shrubs, both species perform hydraulic redistribution, which helped improve soil fertility. Addition of ''Piliostigma reticulatum t''o mango seedlings helped with soil decomposition and mineralization of nutrients aiding the growth of mango seedlings in a rainfed community of the Sahel.

Chemistry

Test on plant's extracts isolated the methylated flavonols, 6-C-methylquercetin-3-methyl ether, 6,8-di-C-methylkaempferol-3- methyl ether, and 6-C-methylquercetin-3,30 ,7-trimethyl ether. Leaves and fruits contains

tartaric acid Tartaric acid is a white, crystalline organic acid that occurs naturally in many fruits, most notably in grapes but also in tamarinds, bananas, avocados, and citrus. Its salt (chemistry), salt, potassium bitartrate, commonly known as cream of ta ...

Uses

Extracts of the species is used by locals as an antiseptic and to treat a variety of illnesses; root extracts are used by herbalists to treat diarrhea, gonorrhea, uterine pain, liver and gall pains while bark decoctions are used in the wound healing process. Extracts of leaves are used to treat a variety of issues including cough, bronchitis, and rheumatism. The species is also noted as a forage stock in the Sahel region; leaves, pods and branches are sold by farmers to herders for cattle fodder. A bark decoction is used in the dyeing process of bogolan cloths, while its fibrous bark is also used for tying roof rafters, basket and mat making. In Burkina Faso, young leaves are prepared, cooked and eaten.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q50853067 Cercidoideae Taxa named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle