''Barteria fistulosa'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of tree in the family
Passifloraceae
The Passifloraceae are a family of flowering plants, containing about 750 species classified in around 27 genera.
They include trees, shrubs, lianas, and climbing plants, and are mostly found in tropical regions. The family takes its name from ...
, native to tropical Central Africa. The tree has an association with an aggressive species of ant with a very painful sting, which lives in its hollow branches and twigs, and gives rise to its common name of "ant tree".
Description
''Barteria fistulosa'' is a small evergreen tree growing to a height of about . It has a deep taproot, multiple trunks and spreading horizontal branches which are hollow. The leaves alternate are simple, slightly overlapping and borne on short flattened stalks. The leaf blades are glossy green, oblong, and widest just beyond the mid-point, and have entire margins and a slight notch at the apex. The tiny, regular, white flowers form an arc of five flowers around the leaf bases and are followed by small globular fruits.
Distribution and habitat
''Barteria fistulosa'' can be found in tropical Central Africa, its range extending from Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It grows in moist mixed
terra firma forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
,
[ where it forms part of the ]understory
In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abov ...
. It is also found in gallery forests, secondary forests, glades and clearings. The seedlings can tolerate deep shade.[
]
Ecology
''Barteria fistulosa'' has a symbiotic relationship with the very aggressive ant ''Tetraponera aethiops
''Tetraponera aethiops'' is a species of ant in the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae, which is native to tropical Africa. It is found living in the tropical forest, forest in association with ''Barteria fistulosa'', a small tree.
Distribution and habi ...
'', which makes its home in the hollow twigs and branches (known as domatia
A domatium (plural: domatia, from the Latin "domus", meaning home) is a tiny chamber that houses arthropods, produced by a plant.
Ideally domatia differ from galls in that they are produced by the plant rather than being induced by their inhabi ...
) and defends the tree against herbivore
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...
s. This ant lives exclusively on ''B. fistulosa''; each ant colony has a single queen and the ants feed on nectar produced by the tree in extra-floral nectaries, and on the honeydew produced by scale insects that they tend inside their domatia.[
]
Uses
Several parts of this tree are used in traditional medicine; the roots, bark and leaves are used to reduce fevers and pains; a 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. Dec ...
of the bark has various uses and the sap helps with the healing of wounds; some parts of the tree are used against snake bites and epilepsy; and the young shoots are thought to have aphrodisiac properties.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13589045
Passifloraceae
Flora of Africa