Mopane

Mopane ( mopane Colophospermum )

The mopane ( mopane Colophospermum ) or Mopani is the only species of the plant genus Colophospermum, which belongs to the legume family ( Fabaceae ). It is widely distributed in Southern Africa.

Description

The mopane grows as in the dry season, more or less deciduous shrub or tree, which at best growth conditions achieved stature heights of up to 30 meters in the northern area of ​​distribution. Parts of plants, especially the leaves, have a smell of turpentine in injury. Its trunk has a very typical rough, greyish - brown bark with deep vertical furrows. The big tree crown is narrow. The two-part leaves look like camel footprints and fold together over high heat. It is still a small tip at the end of the Feast of the present sheet shows a reduced third pinnule. The leaves have a beautiful color in autumn and spring.

From December to January, the flowers are formed in inflorescences. The relatively small flowers are green. Between April and June attack the flat, somewhat kidney-shaped legumes and turn from green to pale mottled brown and later. The flat seeds are surrounded by sticky resin.

Synecology

The Mopaneblätter serve many Laubäsern such as elephants, giraffes, and black rhinos as a nutritious food.

Occurrence

The mopane grows in hot, dry areas at altitudes between 200 and 1500 meters in Southern Africa: in the northernmost region of the Republic of South Africa (near the Limpopo River ), in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Malawi.

He is encountered on thin, poorly drained, alkaline ( high lime ) soils. Here he often spreads forming stands to Mopanewäldern from. It grows also on alluvial soil of rivers.

In South Africa and adjacent areas of Botswana and Zimbabwe, the trees vary in size from 4 to 18 m and are called mopane shrubs, sometimes they also make forests if they have a slimmer stature. Mopane does not grow well outside the proper for him hot, frost-free areas with summer rain.

System

The first description of this kind took place in 1866 under the name Copaifera mopane by John Kirk in George Bentham: Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 25, p 317 The genus Colophospermum 1949 by John Kirk in Jean Joseph Gustave Léonard: Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de l' État, 19, 390 mopane with the type species Colophospermum ( J.Kirk ex Benth. ) J.Léonard erected. Colophospermum mopane is the only species of the genus Colophospermum from the tribe in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae Detarieae within the Fabaceae family. This type is sometimes classified in the genus Hardwickia Roxb. classified. Other synonyms for Colophospermum mopane (. Kirk ex Benth ) Kirk ex J.Léonard are: Copaiba mopane ( Kirk ex Benth. ) Kuntze, Hardwickia mopane ( Kirk ex Benth. ) Breteler et al ..

The genus name is derived Colophospermum from the Greek words Colophos for " rosin ", which evidently refers to the strong smell of turpentine resin ( rosin is obtained from turpentine) and spermum for seed starting, this refers to the resinous seeds.

Use

Together with camel thorn (Acacia erioloba ) and Leadwood ( Combretum imberbe ), it forms the triad of the internal timber for people in southern Africa. The leaves are food for the caterpillar of Gonimbrasia belina, a moth of the family of peacocks Spinner. Because of their high protein content they are roasted by people, dried or eaten in the Mopanewurmsuppe. The doll of the caterpillar spins a silk cocoon, which serves as a wild silk for making clothes. Collecting Mopaneraupen is an important source of income for many people.

Traditionally Mopaneholz is used for building houses and for Kraalzäune and the branches are chewed as a toothbrush.

The bark is used for the production of strings and for tanning. The leaves are used for wound healing and combating stomach ailments.

The hard, reddish wood was used for railway sleepers and excavation work in mines. It is one of the hardest woods of southern Africa and is apparently difficult to work with due to its hardness. That's what makes it resistant to termites but why it is often used for fence posts and flooring.

In the recent time, Mopani wood is in the woodwind instruments more and more as a possible replacement for wood African Blackwood ( Dalbergia melanoxylon ) by, as it as this is also very hard and dense, and also has similar advantageous sonic properties. In addition, so far no significant allergic reactions to Mopani wood are known, however, what with the different types of Dalbergien often.

Furthermore, the roots are used because of their high weather resistance in the terrarium and aquarium.

Swell

• Alice Aubrey in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, 2004: Colophospermum mopane ( J.Kirk ex Benth. ) J.Kirk ex J.Léonard - Data sheet at plantzafrica.com (Section Description and occurrence)