Burkea africana

Burkea africana

Burkea africana is the only species of the genus in the subfamily Burkea carob plants ( Caesalpinioideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). It is widespread on the African continent.

Description

Burkea africana grows as a deciduous, medium-sized tree, reaching heights of growth of usually 8 to 12, rarely up to 20 meters. Its bark is gray to black. The canopy is spread out and flat on top.

The alternate arranged on the branches leaves are 10 to 35 cm long, pubescent or glabrous and bipinnate with two to four pairs of pinnae first order. Each pinna first order has five to 18 leaflets. The leaflets are at a length of 2-5 cm and a width of 1.2 to 3 cm oval and initially silvery with brown spots.

The hanging, 7 to 30 cm long overall inflorescence is composed of racemose inflorescences part. The seated, fragrant, creamy white flowers have a diameter of 6 mm.

The legumes are very flat over a length of 3 to 6 cm and a width of 2 to 3 cm, elliptical and contain a single seed.

Occurrence

Burkea africana south is widespread in tropical Africa and in subtropical areas to Namibia, Botswana, and to the South African provinces of Limpopo, North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. It is a characteristic tree häufer and sandy soils in dry scrub and woodland, savanna regions of Africa.

System

The genus Burkea was erected in 1843 by William Jackson Hooker Hooker's Icones Plantarum in, blackboard 593-594 with the kind Burkea africana. There were two types described valid for special seasons. The genus name honors Joseph Burkea Burke, who collected it in the 1840s in the Magaliesberg in South Africa and the epithet africana refers to the African continent, on the widespread this kind.

Currently, the monotypic genus contains only Burkea the only way Burkea africana Hook .. The genus belongs to the tribe Burkea Caesalpinieae in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae within the Fabaceae family.

Use

The poisonous bark contains abundant alkaloids and tannins and is used for tanning leather.