Bridelia micrantha

Bridelia micrantha, the mitzeeri or the coastal golden-leaf, is a tree in the family Phyllanthaceae and is native to tropical and southern Africa as well as to the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean.[4]

Mitzeerie
Fresh leaves of Bridelia micrantha from Amanzimtoti, South Africa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Genus: Bridelia
Species:
B. micrantha
Binomial name
Bridelia micrantha
Synonyms[3]
  • Candelabria micrantha Hochst. (basionym)
  • Bridelia micrantha var. genuina Müll.Arg. (nom. inval.)

Description

A medium to tall tree (up to 20 m),[5] with a dense widely spreading crown.[6] The leaves are large, alternate and simple.[5] The tree may be deciduous or evergreen.[7]

Habitat

They are found growing in coastal forests (such as KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Lowland Forest), riverine forest, swamp forest,[5] woodland and along forest margins.[7]

Native distribution

Bridelia micrantha is native to primarily tropical, northeast, western, west-central, and southern Africa (in Angola; Benin; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ethiopia;[5] Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Nigeria; Rwanda; São Tomé and Príncipe; Senegal; Sierra Leone; South Africa (in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga; and Eswatini);[5] Sudan; Tanzania (inclusive of the Zanzibar Archipelago); Togo; Uganda; Zambia; and Zimbabwe); and the western Indian Ocean island of Réunion.[7][8]

Ecological significance

Bridelia micrantha is a larval food plant for butterflies such as: Abantis paradisea, Charaxes castor flavifasciatus and Parosmodes morantii morantii,[9] and also the silkmoth Anaphe panda.[10]

Ethnobotanical medicinal use

Bridelia micrantha has been used locally in folk medicine, variously as an anti-abortifacient, an antidote, a laxative or purgative; and to treat diverse conditions of the central nervous system (headache), eye (infections, conjunctivitis), the gastrointestinal system (abdominal pain, constipation, gastritis), respiratory system (common cold), and the skin (scabies);[11] and used hygienically as a mouthwash.[11]

References
  1. Rivers, M.C.; Barstow, M.; Mark, J. (2017). "Bridelia micrantha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T61956569A61956571. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T61956569A61956571.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2.  Under its treatment as Bridelia micrantha (from the basionym Candelabria micrantha) this name was first published in Adansonia 3: 164. 1862. "Name - Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  3. Synonymy for Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill. at Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  5. Pooley, E. (1993). The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei. ISBN 0-620-17697-0.
  6. Radcliffe-Smith A. Flora of West Tropical Africa, Vol 1 Part 2.
  7. "Bridelia micrantha". Flora of Zimbabwe. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  8. "Bridelia micrantha". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  9. "Bridelia micrantha". www.plantzafrica.com. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  10. 2008 Research Paper: Spatial distribution of cocoon nests and egg clusters of the silkmoth Anaphe panda (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae) and its host plant Bridelia micrantha (Euphorbiaceae) in the Kakamega Forest of western Kenya. doi:10.1017/S1742758407859662
  11. James A. Duke. "Bridelia micrantha (EUPHORBIACEAE)". Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
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