''Dalbergia hirticalyx'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Description

''Dalbergia hirticalyx'' is a large tree which grows to 29 meters tall. It flowers in September, and fruits from November to February and in June.

Range and habitat

''Dalbergia hirticalyx'' is known from three separate locations in southwestern and west-central Madagascar. In the southwest it is found on the Analavelona Massif, and in

Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park ''Zombitse-Vohibasia'' is a national park in the Atsimo-Andrefana region of south-west Madagascar. It is north-east of the town of Toliara, the site of the nearest airport, and the Welcome Office is at Sakaraha from the park entrance. The park c ...

about 50 km southeast of Analavelona. The third and disjunct population at

Bongolava Bongolava is a region in central-western Madagascar. The capital of the region is Tsiroanomandidy. It had a population of 674,474 in 2018. Geography The region is situated in central-western Madagascar. It is bordered by Betsiboka, Melaky, Menabe, ...

Province of west-central Madagascar. At Analavelona and Bongolava it is found in mid-elevation subhumid forests, and in lower-elevation dry deciduous forests at Zombitse, between 500 and 1,300 meters elevation.

Uses

''Dalbergia hirticalyx'', like the other species of ''Dalbergia'' on Madagascar, is prized for its timber, which is traditionally used to build coffins.Beech, E., Rivers, M., Rabarimanarivo, M., Ravololomanana, N., Manjato, N., Lantoarisoa, F., Andriambololonera, S., Ramandimbisoa, B., Ralimanana, H., Rakotoarisoa, S., Razanajatovo , H., Razafiniary, V., Andriamanohera, A., Randrianasolo, V., Rakotonasolo, F., Rakotoarisoa, A., Randriamamonjy, N., Rajaovelona, L., Rakotomalala, N., Randriamboavonjy, T., Rajaonah, M., Rabehevitra, D., Ramarosandratana, A.V., Rakotoarinivo, M., B.H. Ravaomanalina and Jeannoda, V. (2021). ''Red List of Trees of Madagascar''. BGCI. Richmond, UK.

Conservation

The species is threatened with habitat loss and a declining population and area of occupancy. All the current known locations of ''Dalbergia hirticalyx'' are found in areas threatened with from human-set fires to clear land for livestock grazing, illegal timber logging, and logging for traditional uses and for firewood. The current status of the Bongolava population is unknown, and it may have been extirpated from the area. The species is assessed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

. In the Analavelona Forest a community-based conservation project aims to conserve ''Dalbergia hirticalyx'' by cataloging existing populations and developing sustainable timber harvesting practices.Beech, E., Rivers, M., Rabarimanarivo, M., Ravololomanana, N., Manjato, N., Lantoarisoa, F., Andriambololonera, S., Ramandimbisoa, B., Ralimanana, H., Rakotoarisoa, S., Razanajatovo , H., Razafiniary, V., Andriamanohera, A., Randrianasolo, V., Rakotonasolo, F., Rakotoarisoa, A., Randriamamonjy, N., Rajaovelona, L., Rakotomalala, N., Randriamboavonjy, T., Rajaonah, M., Rabehevitra, D., Ramarosandratana, A.V., Rakotoarinivo, M., B.H. Ravaomanalina and Jeannoda, V. (2021). ''Red List of Trees of Madagascar''. BGCI. Richmond, UK.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1387950 hirticalyx Endemic flora of Madagascar Endangered plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Flora of the Madagascar subhumid forests