''Prosopis africana'' is a flowering plant species in the genus Fabaceae. It is found in Africa. Its common names include African mesquite, iron tree, ''gele'' (

Malinke Maninka (also known as Malinke), or more precisely Eastern Maninka, is the name of several closely related languages and dialects of the southeastern Manding subgroup of the Mande language family. It is the mother tongue of the Malinké peop ...

) (traditional djembe wood) or ''

somb Somb (in Serer, also ''Som'' or ''Sombe'') is a town in Senegal situated in the west of the country. History Somb figure prominently in Serer religious affairs for a long part of its history. It takes its name from the ''Somb'' tree (Latin : ...

'' tree. In the

Serer creation myth The Serer creation myth is the traditional creation myth of the Serer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. Many Serers who adhere to the tenets of the Serer religion believe these narratives to be sacred. Some aspects of Serer religious a ...

, it is one of the

sacred trees A sacred tree is a tree which is considered to be sacred, or worthy of spiritual respect or reverence. Such trees appear throughout world history in various cultures including the ancient Greek, Hindu mythology, Celtic and Germanic mythologies. ...

that grew not just first, but also within the primordial swamp on Earth. Seeds of ''P. africana'' are used in Nigeria to prepare daddawa, kpaye or okpeye, fermented products used as food

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...

s. Several species of bacteria especially ''

Bacillus subtilis ''Bacillus subtilis'', known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus ''Bacillus ...

'', ''

Bacillus licheniformis ''Bacillus licheniformis'' is a bacterium commonly found in the soil. It is found on bird feathers, especially chest and back plumage, and most often in ground-dwelling birds (like sparrows) and aquatic species (like ducks). It is a gram-posi ...

'', ''

Bacillus megaterium ''Bacillus megaterium'' is a rod-like, Gram-positive, mainly aerobic spore forming bacterium found in widely diverse habitats.De Vos, P. ''et al.'' Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology: Volume 3: The Firmicutes. ''Springer'' (2009) It has ...

'', '' Staphylococcus epidermidis'' and ''

Micrococcus ''Micrococcus'' (mi’ krō kŏk’ Əs) is a genus of bacteria in the Micrococcaceae family. ''Micrococcus'' occurs in a wide range of environments, including water, dust, and soil. Micrococci have Gram-positive spherical cells ranging from abo ...

'' spp. were found to be the most actively involved organisms in the production of okpiye. Sequencing of 16S rRNA genes of selected strains representative of the major clusters revealed that the ''Bacillus'' strains associated with okpehe fermentation were ''B. subtilis'', '' B. amyloliquefaciens'', '' B. cereus'' and ''B. licheniformis'' (in decreasing order of incidence). The presence of

enterotoxin An enterotoxin is a protein exotoxin released by a microorganism that targets the intestines. Enterotoxins are chromosomally encoded or plasmid encoded exotoxins that are produced and secreted from several bacterial organisms. They are heat la ...

genes in all ''B. cereus'' strains was demonstrated by multiplex PCR. The high incidence of detection (20%) of possibly pathogenic ''B. cereus'' strains that contained enterotoxin genes indicated that these fermented foods may constitute a potential health risk. The seeds also produce a gum. The plant produces the alkaloids prosopine and prosopinine.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q12066488 africana Trees of Africa Flora of West Tropical Africa Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa Plants described in 1893