''Pterolobium stellatum'' (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: ''stellatum'', starry or star-like, suggesting the radial arrangement of inflorescences), the redwing, is a perennial
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the
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 ...
family,
.
Range and habitat
It is the only member of the genus to occur in Africa, where it has an extensive but easterly range, from northern
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
to
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 ...
,
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and on to
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
in the Arabian Peninsula.
They are found on rocky slopes and kopjes, riparian floodplains, or along forest margins.
Description
Young plants are hairy on the stems and leaves, while mature plants have scrambling rope-like branches that are armed with recurved thorns or conical knobs. The alternate and
bipinnate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
ly compound leaves consist of 5 to 13 paired primary leaflets (pinnae), and 7 to 16 paired leaflets per pinna.
[ The underside of the rachis carries pairs of recurved thorns, or solitary straight ones.
They produce cream-coloured inflorescences composed of dense compound ]raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s (panicles).[ These are sweetly scented and attract quantities of bees and butterflies. They produce colourful brick-red to scarlet samaroid fruit, typical of their genus, which turn brown with age. The species may be confused with '']Caesalpinia decapetala
''Biancaea decapetala'', commonly known as shoofly, Mauritius or Mysore thorn or the cat's claw, is a tropical tree species originating in India.
Introduced range
''B. decapetala'' has been introduced to Fiji, French Polynesia, Hawai‘i, New C ...
'', which however has larger yellow flowers, and clusters of brown seed pods.
Uses
The shrubs are planted to provide impenetrable live fences, and shoots are collected for livestock fodder. In Ethiopia an infusion of the pounded bark has been used as a component in tanning leather, while providing it with a red colour.[ The leaves contain 20% tannin and yield a dark red dye when crushed, which has been used in textiles, basketry and as an ingredient in black ink. The plant is employed in traditional medicine, though its medicinal properties have not been formally investigated.][
]
Local names
* Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
: kanteftef
* Tigrinya: ቆንጠፍጠፎ (qontaftafo)
References
External links
*
*
* Range and synonyms
Pterolobium stellatum
African Plant Database, Jardin botaniques
Pterolobium stellatum
Flora of Zimbabwe
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3410277
stellatum
Flora of Northeast Tropical Africa
Flora of Southern Africa
Flora of the Arabian Peninsula
Flora of East Tropical Africa
Flora of South Tropical Africa
Flora of the Democratic Republic of the Congo