''Lannea schweinfurthii'' is a small to medium sized deciduous tree within the
Anacardiaceae
The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...
family. The tree is sometimes called 'bastard marula' or 'false marula' because when it is without flowers or fruits, it become quite similar to the
marula tree and sometimes confused for the marula tree.
Extracts of the species is used in traditional human and veterinary medical practices.
It has three varieties that are recognized by their leaf-blade outline and hairiness of leaves.
Description
The species is capable of growing up to 22 m in height but common range is between 3-15 m,
it has an open or spreading crown with drooping branches bearing foliage at its end, bark is usually flaky and grey to brownish in color but young stems tend to be pubescent becoming flaky when mature.
Leaves are imparipinnately compound, with about 1-5 pairs of leaflets; leaf-blade is broadly ovate to elliptic in outline. Inflorescence is spike-like racemes; flowers are greenish yellow to yellow colored, fruit is an ellipsoid berry, grows up to 12 mm long and red-brown when ripe.
Distribution
Occurs in a wide range of environments in East Tropical Africa but also found in parts of North East Africa and Southern Africa, it has been reported in Somalia, Kenya and southwards toward South Africa.
Chemistry
Chemical compounds isolated from the stem and root bark of the species include
flavanoids
Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans.
Chemically, flavonoids ...
: epicatechin gallate,
catechin
Catechin is a flavan-3-ol, a type of secondary metabolite providing antioxidant roles in plants. It belongs to the subgroup of polyphenols called flavonoids.
The name of the catechin chemical family derives from ''catechu'', which is the tannic ...
, and rutin;
triterpenoids
Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squale ...
: b-sitosterol, sitosterol, sitosterol glucoside, lupeol, and lupenone, and alkyl cardonols:
cyclohexenones and cyclohexenols.
Uses
The root and stem bark is commonly used to treat a variety of ailments including blood disorders like Anemia, gastro-intestinal disorders such as diarrhea, dysentery, and stomach pains, sores and wounds and to treat infections such as abscesses, boils, skin rashes and gonorhea.
In Tanzania and Zimbabwe it is also used to treat animal related health issues such as
coccidiosis
Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract of animals caused by coccidian protozoa. The disease spreads from one animal to another by contact with infected feces or ingestion of infected tissue. Diarrhea, which may become bloody in ...
and corridor disease.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15114653
Flora of East Tropical Africa
schweinfurthii