Landolphia heudelotii is a climbing shrub or liana that is within the Apocynaceae family, it occurs in the Guinea and Sudan savannahs of West Africa and cultivated for its rubber and edible fruit.

Landolphia heudelotii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Landolphia
Species:
L. heudelotii
Binomial name
Landolphia heudelotii
A.DC.

Description

edit

The species grows up to 4-12 meters high, it has a beige to brownish colored bark with white exudate and lenticellate stems.[1] Leaves opposite with a pubescent surface; the leaf-blade is obovate to ovate in outline, 4-12 cm long and 3-4 cm wide with a rounded to cuneate base, apex is bluntly cuneate or acuminate, petiole between 0.2-0.5 cm long.[1][2] The inflorescence is terminal somewhat tendril-like with fragrant flowers; fruit, ellipsoid or pear shaped berries, 2-4 cm in diameter, they are usually in clusters of 2-6 and are orange when ripe.[1][2]

Distribution

edit

Commonly occurs across the wooded Sudan and Guinea savannahs of West Africa, often found near rocky soils.[1][2]

Chemistry

edit

Fruits obtained from the species showed the presence of the compounds, meta-cresol, linalool and the isomer farnesene.[3]

Uses

edit

Wood is used in local carpentry work and making tool handles and doors. A decoction is used to treat diarrhea or intestinal worms in cattle, goat and sheep.[4] Its latex was widely used in Senegal for rubber, and today, it is still used as a rubber substitute to repair bike tubes.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e Arbonnier, Michel (2004). Trees, shrubs, and lianas of West African dry zones. Paris: CIRAD. p. 166. ISBN 2-87614-579-0. OCLC 56937881.
  2. ^ a b c The African species of Landolphia P. Beauv. : series of revisions of Apocynaceae XXXIV. J. G. M. Persoon. Wageningen, Netherlands: Wageningen Agricultural University. 1992. pp. 85–90. ISBN 90-6754-234-2. OCLC 31208098.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ Pélissier, Yves; Malan, Anglade; Mahmout, Yaya; Bessière, Jean-Marie (1996). "Fruit Volatiles of Landolphia senegalensis (DC.) Kotschy et Peyr. and L. heudelotii DC. (Apocynaceae)". Journal of Essential Oil Research. 8 (3): 299–301. doi:10.1080/10412905.1996.9700618. ISSN 1041-2905.
  4. ^ Koné, W.M.; Kamanzi Atindehou, K. (2008). "Ethnobotanical inventory of medicinal plants used in traditional veterinary medicine in Northern Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa)". South African Journal of Botany. 74 (1): 76–84. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2007.08.015.