''Cyphostemma currorii'' is a succulent tree belonging to the family
Vitaceae
The Vitaceae are a family of flowering plants, with 14 genera and around 910 known species, including common plants such as grapevines (''Vitis'' spp.) and Virginia creeper (''Parthenocissus quinquefolia''). The family name is derived from the ge ...
, also known as Koba or Butter-tree.
They grow and reach a height of 6 meters or more. ''Cyphostemma currorii'' is found in hot, arid rocky places, and has been seen from southern
Angola
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, capital = Luanda
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to
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
and is common on the
Brandberg.
Description
''Cyphostemma currorii'' looks like a big succulent that grows up to be a tree, belonging to the Vitaceae family. ''Cyphostemma currorii'' grows up to be a tree, with creamy, papery peeling bark.
The trunk has a yellowish to orange bark, peeling off in a paper-like flakes to expose a greenish underbark.
They have very long trunks, they have mid vein with branches. The leaves are at the tip of the branches, arranged in groups of threes. The leaves are fairly large and fleshy, the edges of the leaves are not smooth, they are dentated. The leaves are dentated so they can preserve water so the tree can survive the extra hot seasons.
Distribution
''Cyphostemma currorii'' is found in hot, arid rocky places, and has been seen from southern Angola to Namibia and is common on the Brandberg.
Use
This tree is not used for human consumption, the foliage and fruit are rich in oxalic acid.
The fruits are consumed by animals in the area. Due to its trunk ability to preserve water and be able to survive in dry, arid areas these trees are many times used as landscape decoration; ornamental pieces.
Taxonomy
This species was named after Andrew B. Curror, a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
br>
surgeon from the vessel
HMS Waterwitch, who first collected specimens of the tree at Elephant's Bay in Angola in the 1840s - the genus ''
Curroria''
Planch. is also after him. The foliage and fruit of this genus are rich in
oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early inve ...
, so that the leaves are shunned by browsers, though the fruit is relished by baboons and monkeys.
References
Sources
* ''Damaraland Flora'' - Christine Marais, Patricia Craven (Gamsberg McMillan 1992
Caudiciforms
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2836181
currorii
Trees of South Africa
Trees of Angola
Flora of Namibia
Plants described in 1849
Caudiciform plants