Edit History
Dichapetalum madagascariense Poir. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Date Updated: 30 April 2005
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol 1
Names
Dichapetalum chrysobalanoides Hutch.& Dalz. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum flexuosum Engl. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum floribundum Planch. Engl. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum guineense (DC.) Keay [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum madagascariense Poir. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum subcordatum Hook. f. Engl. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum thomsonii Oliv. Engl. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Common names
SIERRA LEONE: MENDE makpavi (FCD) TEMNE a-bonk, a-nunk (JMD) IVORY COAST: BAULE sumolié (Aub.; K&B) DAN guahiélu (Aub.; K&B) GHANA: VULGAR nkronua (DF) AKAN-ASANTE akwakoraa gyihenim (FRI) denkyera hwerewa (FRI) kyekyereantena (FRI) TWI nkorodua (FRI) nkron-nua (FRI) ofenwa-biri (DF) σfẽwa-biri (FRI) ofoabiri (BD&H; FRI) ANYI-AOWIN sumolie (FRI) SEHWI asunwi(n)dia (auctt.) εson-windia (CV) GA antro (FRI) CBE-VHE folie, fσlie the genus generally? (FRI) tsrokpati (FRI) VHE (Awlan) kletsi NIGERIA: YORUBA alo (JRA; KO&S) ekusan (Ross) ikun imú àgbò (IFE) kukumarugbo (Macgregor; Ross)
Uses
fruit-pulp seed Food: general leaf Medicines: generally healing leaf-sap Medicines: liver, etc. leaf Phytochemistry: soap and substitutes plant Phytochemistry: miscellaneously poisonous or repellent bark Products: exudations-gums, resins, etc. stem Products: household, domestic and personal items
Description
A shrub, or tree to over 20 m high by 1·70 m girth, of savanna and forest, from Sierra Leone to Nigeria, and perhaps on to the Congo basin.The bark exudes a little brownish gum when slashed (1, 9). The fresh cut wood is white and turns brownish. It is hard and contains black veins (1, 4, 8, 9). The smaller stems are used as chew-sticks (5, 8) and larger pieces find unspecified domestic uses (6, 8).The plant is said to be poisonous to stock (5, 6, 8). There is strong but so far inconclusive evidence of the presence of monofluoroacetic acid (12). This is the toxic substance present in gifblaar, D. cymosum Engl., the cause of very considerable loss of stock in S Africa (3, 13). It is present in the leaves, more especially the younger ones. The substance of itself is not poisonous, but toxicity follows from enzymatic action in digestion. The addition of monosodium acid phosphate to stock drinking water conveys complete protection against dichapetalosis (13). See also D. toxicaricum below.Sap expressed from the pulped leaves, together with the leaves of other drug-plants, is used by the Baule of Ivory Coast in nasal instillations for jaundice (10), and the leaves are made into plasters and poultices for treating sores and old painful urethrites (2). In S Nigeria, the Igbo use the leaf with soap for washing (11).The fruit contains an edible pulp. The seed is also edible (5, 6, 7, 8).
References
References:1. Aubréville, 1959: 2: 10, as D. guineense (DC.) Keay. 2. Bouquet & Debray, 1974: 79. 3. Breteler, 1973: 36. 4. Burtt Davy & Hoyle, 1937: 32. 5. Dalziel, 1937. 6. Irvine 337, K. 7. Irvine 1964, K. 8. Irvine, 1961: 267, as D. guineense (DC.) Keay. 9. Keay & al., 1960: 325–5, as D. guineense (DC.) Keay. 10. Kerharo & Bouquet, 1950: 91, as D. flexuosum Engl. 11. Thomas, N. W., 2098 (Nig. Ser.), K. 12. Vickery, B. & al., 1973. 13. Watt & Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962: 375–83, under D. cymosum Engl.
Contributor
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Date Updated: 30 April 2005
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol 1
Names
Dichapetalum chrysobalanoides Hutch.& Dalz. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum flexuosum Engl. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum floribundum Planch. Engl. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum guineense (DC.) Keay [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum madagascariense Poir. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum subcordatum Hook. f. Engl. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Dichapetalum thomsonii Oliv. Engl. [family DICHAPETALACEAE]
Common names
SIERRA LEONE: MENDE makpavi (FCD) TEMNE a-bonk, a-nunk (JMD) IVORY COAST: BAULE sumolié (Aub.; K&B) DAN guahiélu (Aub.; K&B) GHANA: VULGAR nkronua (DF) AKAN-ASANTE akwakoraa gyihenim (FRI) denkyera hwerewa (FRI) kyekyereantena (FRI) TWI nkorodua (FRI) nkron-nua (FRI) ofenwa-biri (DF) σfẽwa-biri (FRI) ofoabiri (BD&H; FRI) ANYI-AOWIN sumolie (FRI) SEHWI asunwi(n)dia (auctt.) εson-windia (CV) GA antro (FRI) CBE-VHE folie, fσlie the genus generally? (FRI) tsrokpati (FRI) VHE (Awlan) kletsi NIGERIA: YORUBA alo (JRA; KO&S) ekusan (Ross) ikun imú àgbò (IFE) kukumarugbo (Macgregor; Ross)
Uses
fruit-pulp seed Food: general leaf Medicines: generally healing leaf-sap Medicines: liver, etc. leaf Phytochemistry: soap and substitutes plant Phytochemistry: miscellaneously poisonous or repellent bark Products: exudations-gums, resins, etc. stem Products: household, domestic and personal items
Description
A shrub, or tree to over 20 m high by 1·70 m girth, of savanna and forest, from Sierra Leone to Nigeria, and perhaps on to the Congo basin.The bark exudes a little brownish gum when slashed (1, 9). The fresh cut wood is white and turns brownish. It is hard and contains black veins (1, 4, 8, 9). The smaller stems are used as chew-sticks (5, 8) and larger pieces find unspecified domestic uses (6, 8).The plant is said to be poisonous to stock (5, 6, 8). There is strong but so far inconclusive evidence of the presence of monofluoroacetic acid (12). This is the toxic substance present in gifblaar, D. cymosum Engl., the cause of very considerable loss of stock in S Africa (3, 13). It is present in the leaves, more especially the younger ones. The substance of itself is not poisonous, but toxicity follows from enzymatic action in digestion. The addition of monosodium acid phosphate to stock drinking water conveys complete protection against dichapetalosis (13). See also D. toxicaricum below.Sap expressed from the pulped leaves, together with the leaves of other drug-plants, is used by the Baule of Ivory Coast in nasal instillations for jaundice (10), and the leaves are made into plasters and poultices for treating sores and old painful urethrites (2). In S Nigeria, the Igbo use the leaf with soap for washing (11).The fruit contains an edible pulp. The seed is also edible (5, 6, 7, 8).
References
References:1. Aubréville, 1959: 2: 10, as D. guineense (DC.) Keay. 2. Bouquet & Debray, 1974: 79. 3. Breteler, 1973: 36. 4. Burtt Davy & Hoyle, 1937: 32. 5. Dalziel, 1937. 6. Irvine 337, K. 7. Irvine 1964, K. 8. Irvine, 1961: 267, as D. guineense (DC.) Keay. 9. Keay & al., 1960: 325–5, as D. guineense (DC.) Keay. 10. Kerharo & Bouquet, 1950: 91, as D. flexuosum Engl. 11. Thomas, N. W., 2098 (Nig. Ser.), K. 12. Vickery, B. & al., 1973. 13. Watt & Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962: 375–83, under D. cymosum Engl.
Contributor
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
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