''Piliostigma reticulatum'' is a

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

in the

Cercidoideae Cercidoideae is a subfamily in the pea family, Fabaceae. Well-known members include ''Cercis'' (redbuds), including species widely cultivated as ornamental trees in the United States and Europe, ''Bauhinia'', widely cultivated as an ornamental tr ...

subfamily. It occurs throughout western tropical Africa to Ethiopia. The species has been shown to be useful as an

intercrop Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice that involves growing two or more crops in proximity. In other words, intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field. The most common goal of intercropping is ...

for crops such as

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

in the

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...

Description

A perennial

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

species, it is capable of growing up to 10 m tall. The plant has a deeply fissured to cracked grey bark and fibrous slash turning brown . It has alternate leaves that are bilobed in outline, the lobes are rounded to cuneate; leaf-blade is 5–11 cm long and 4–18 cm wide, petiole is 1-3.5 cm long, the leaf surface is leathery and glabrous. Inflorescence is either terminal or axillary panicles with white-pink striped flowers. Fruit is a glabrous pod.

Distribution

Widespread in the

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

savannah regions of West Africa, east towards Sudan.

Ecology

In West African Sahel environments, research identified that some cropped fields with ''Piliostigma reticulatum'' and ''

Guiera senegalensis ''Guiera'' is a flowering plant genus in the family Combretaceae. ''Guiera senegalensis'' is the only known species in the genus, found in Tropical Africa in dry areas from Senegal to Sudan (requiring much sunlight and light dry soil). The plant ...

'' have better soil quality than fields without these shrubs, both species perform

hydraulic redistribution Hydraulic redistribution is a passive mechanism where water is transported from moist to dry soils via subterranean networks. It occurs in vascular plants that commonly have roots in both wet and dry soils, especially plants with both taproots that ...

, which helped improve soil fertility. Addition of ''Piliostigma reticulatum t''o mango seedlings helped with soil decomposition and mineralization of nutrients aiding the growth of mango seedlings in a rainfed community of the Sahel.

Chemistry

Test on plant's extracts isolated the methylated flavonols, 6-C-methylquercetin-3-methyl ether, 6,8-di-C-methylkaempferol-3- methyl ether, and 6-C-methylquercetin-3,30 ,7-trimethyl ether. Leaves and fruits contains

tartaric acid Tartaric acid is a white, crystalline organic acid that occurs naturally in many fruits, most notably in grapes, but also in bananas, tamarinds, and citrus. Its salt, potassium bitartrate, commonly known as cream of tartar, develops naturally i ...

Uses

Extracts of the species is used by locals as an antiseptic and to treat a variety of illnesses; root extracts are used by herbalists to treat diarrhea, gonorrhea, uterine pain, liver and gall pains while bark decoctions are used in the wound healing process. Extracts of leaves are used to treat a variety of issues including cough, bronchitis, and rheumatism. The species is also noted as a forage stock in the Sahel region; leaves, pods and branches are sold by farmers to herders for cattle fodder. A bark decoction is used in the dyeing process of bogolan cloths, while its fibrous bark is also used for tying roof rafters, basket and mat making. In Burkina Faso, young leaves are prepared, cooked and eaten.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q50853067 Cercidoideae Taxa named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle