''Anonychium'' is a
genus of plant in the pea family (
). It includes a single species, ''Anonychium africanum'', a tree native to northern Sub-saharan Africa from Mauritania to Uganda and to Saudi Arabia.
[ It is known by the synonym ''Prosopis africana'', and its common names include African mesquite, iron tree, ''gele'' (in Malinke), ''okpehe'', and '']somb
Somb (in Serer, also ''Som'' or ''Sombe'') is a town in Senegal situated in the west of the country.
History
Somb figure prominently in Serer religious affairs for a long part of its history. It takes its name from the ''Somb'' tree (Latin : ...
'' tree. Okpehe is the name given by the Idoma and Igala people of Nigeria to both the tree and its fermented seeds. All of the other derivatives such as ''okpeye'' and ''okpiye'' stem from the noun ''okpehe'' used by the Idoma and Igala people of present day Benue State of Nigeria.
In the Serer creation myth, it is one of the sacred trees
A sacred tree is a tree which is considered to be sacred, or worthy of spiritual respect or reverence. Such trees appear throughout world history in various cultures including the ancient Greek, Hindu mythology, Celtic and Germanic mythologies. T ...
that grew not just first, but also within the primordial swamp on Earth.
Logs harvested from mature trees are one of the hardwoods used in crafting the shells of traditional djembes. Seeds of ''P. africana'' are used in Nigeria to prepare daddawa
Sumbala or soumbala is a fermented seed condiment used widely across West Africa. It is usually prepared by women over the course of several days, traditionally from ''néré'' (''Parkia biglobosa'') seeds. It can be made from other kinds of seed ...
, kpaye, and okpeye, which are fermented products used as food condiments.
Several species of bacteria especially '' Bacillus subtilis'', '' Bacillus licheniformis'', '' Bacillus megaterium'', ''Staphylococcus epidermidis
''Staphylococcus epidermidis'' is a Gram-positive bacterium, and one of over 40 species belonging to the genus '' Staphylococcus''. It is part of the normal human microbiota, typically the skin microbiota, and less commonly the mucosal microbio ...
'' and ''Micrococcus
''Micrococcus'' (mi’ krō kŏk’ Əs) is a genus of bacteria in the Micrococcaceae family. ''Micrococcus'' occurs in a wide range of environments, including water, dust, and soil. Micrococci have Gram-positive spherical cells ranging from abo ...
'' spp. were found to be the most actively involved organisms in the production of okpiye. Sequencing of 16S rRNA genes of selected strains representative of the major clusters revealed that the ''Bacillus'' strains associated with okpehe fermentation were ''B. subtilis'', '' B. amyloliquefaciens'', ''B. cereus
''Bacillus cereus'' is a Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in soil, food, and marine sponges. The specific name, ''cereus'', meaning "waxy" in Latin, refers to the appearance of colonies grown on blood agar. Some strains are ha ...
'' and ''B. licheniformis'' (in decreasing order of incidence). The presence of enterotoxin
An enterotoxin is a protein exotoxin released by a microorganism that targets the intestines.
Enterotoxins are chromosomally encoded or plasmid encoded exotoxins that are produced and secreted from several bacterial organisms. They are heat labi ...
genes in all ''B. cereus'' strains was demonstrated by multiplex PCR. The high incidence of detection (20%) of possibly pathogenic ''B. cereus'' strains that contained enterotoxin genes indicated that these fermented foods may constitute a potential health risk.
The seeds also produce a gum.
The plant produces the alkaloids prosopine
Prosopine is an alkaloid found in ''Prosopis africana
''Prosopis africana'' is a flowering plant species in the genus Fabaceae. It is found in Africa. Its common names include African mesquite, iron tree, ''gele'' (Malinke) (traditional djembe ...
and prosopinine.
References
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from1=Q121364129, from2=Q121364144, from3=Q12066488
Monotypic Fabaceae genera
Trees of Africa
Flora of West Tropical Africa
Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa
Plants described in 1893