''Annickia affinis'' is small to medium sized tree that grows up to 30m tall, it belongs to the
Annonaceae
The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...
family. Also known as the African yellow wood, it is widely used in Central Africa and parts of West Africa in the treatment of various diseases.
Both ''Annickia affinis'' and ''
Annickia chlorantha
''Annickia chlorantha'' is a tree that grows up to 25 meters tall, it belongs to the Annonaceae family. An important tree used in traditional medical practices for the treatment of malaria and various diseases in Nigeria and Cameroon; oil extra ...
'' are widely studied and sometimes credited with the name ''Enantia chrlorantha''.
Description
Straight, cylindrical trunk, about 80 cm in diameter. Bark, smooth, grey-brown - blackish.
Leaf;
petiole, 8-12 mm, leaf-blade, 3.5 x 27 cm long and 1.5 x 9 cm wide, narrowly elliptic to
obovate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
, acuminate or acute at apex and cuneate at the base; glabrous upper surface, glossy dark green when fresh to grey/brown - black when dry; lower surface
pubescent The adjective pubescent may describe:
* people or animals undergoing puberty
* plants that are hairy, covered in trichomes
* insects that are covered in setae
In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a ...
, pale green when fresh to greenish/brown - deep brown, short, simple, bifid or trifid hairs directed towards the apex.
Distribution
Commonly occurs at altitudes between 50 - 650 meters in primary, secondary and degraded forests of the
lower Guinea Lower Guinea may refer to:
* Maritime Guinea, the coastal region of the republic of Guinea.
* in biogeography, a region of coastal tropical forests stretching along the Gulf of Guinea, from Ghana through Benin, Togo, Nigeria, and Cameroon. It is sep ...
region up to
Cabinda and Congo.
Uses
Wood obtained from the species is used to make canoe paddles and furniture while the bark is suitable making straps for carrying baskets and as a material in building huts.
Stem bark extracts are an important ingredient in
decoction
Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal-medicine systems. De ...
s to treat malaria and a host of other ailments. Dye obtained from the bark is also used for dyeing fibre and cotton.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15398829
Flora of Nigeria
Flora of Cameroon
Flora of Angola
Annonaceae