Anogeissus leiocarpus ( DC ) Guill and Perr
| Botanical Name | Anogeissus leiocarpus ( DC ) Guill and Perr |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Combretaceae |
| Genus: | Anogeissus |
| Species: | A. leiocarpa |
| Common Names: | African birch; Bambara: ngálǎma |
Plant Synonyms
Anogeissus leiocarpa f. grandifolia Engl. & Diels
Plant Local Names
English Name : Anogeissus, Chew-stick
Hausa Name: Maarikee
Yoruba Names: Ayin, Orin – odan
Igbo Name: Abakaliki atara
Plant Habitat
Savannah
Plant Material of Interest
Leaves, Bark, Root and Stem
Plant Description
Tree is up to 27.43m high, branches ascending usually from low down and often drooping at the ends. Bark grey or pale brown. Darkens with age. Peeling off in very thin patches often curly at edges; slash yellow with darker streaks, exuding a brown gum. Branchlets and young foliage densely and offen silkily hairy.
Leaves 2.54 – 7.62cm long, 1.27 – 3.81cm broad, elliptic to ovatelanceolate, acute of bluntly with the midrib in a short spine, rounded at the base or broadly cuneate, alternate, entire, finely hairy on both surfaces with 8 – 10 pairs of thin up-curving lateral nerves fading out at the margin and not looped.
Stalk 0.254 – 0.508cm long, hairy.
Flowers (July – Nov ) greenish – yellow, in compact globose heads on a stalk up to 1.27cm long, in each flower, the calyx – tube is fused to the ovary and resembles a stalk with 5 – calyx teeth forming a shallow cup at the apex, 10 free stamens and a short simple style.
Fruits (Aug – Jan ) scale- like, about 64mm across with 2 wings and a sharp beak, collected in a rather prickly dark brown head at the heart and very hard ( Keay et. al., 1964 )
Plant Used Parts
Plant Uses
1. Leaves and barks decoction used as remedy for tuberculosis
2. Decoction of leaves and bark used as remedy for asthma
3. Decoction of leaves and bark used as one of the three remedies used simultaneously for the treatment of pneumonia.
4. Decoction of bark used as remedy for whooping cough.
Plant Therapeutic Action
Plant Precaution for Use
Plant Adverse Effect
Plant Contraindication
Plant Dosage Forms
Plant Dosage
Plant Storage
Plant Chromatographic Fingerprint
Plant Constituents
The root contains Al, K, Fe, V, Na, Sc, Ca, Br, Zn, Mg, La, Cs, and C.
The bark contains L, Sn, Co, Mn, Au and 3,3,4-trimethoxyflavellagic acid while the stem is reported to contain 4- O-β-D-glucoside (0.2 PPM ) and fluoride (16.4) (Quinn, 2006)
Plant Pictures
Plant References
Steentoft, Margaret (1988). Flowering Plants in West Africa. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-26192-9.
Arbonnier, Michel (2004). Trees, Shrubs and Lianas of West African Dry Zones. Quae. ISBN 2-87614-579-0.
Bizimana, Nsekuye (1994). Traditional Veterinary Practice in Africa. German Technical Cooperation. ISBN 3-88085-502-1.
Mann, A.; Yahaya, Y.; Banso, A.; Ajayi, G. O. (March 2008). "Phytochemical and antibacterial screening of Anogeissus leiocarpus against some microorganisms associated with infectious wounds". Academic Journals.
Shuaibu, M. N.; Pandey, K.; Wuyep, P. A.; Yanagi, T.; Hirayama, K.; Ichinose, A.; Tanaka, T.; Kouno, I. (2008). "Castalagin from Anogeissus leiocarpus mediates the killing of Leishmania in vitro". Parasitology Research. 103 (6): 1333–1338. doi:10.1007/s00436-008-1137-7. PMID 18690475.