Genus of plants in Combretaecae family
"Schousboea" redirects here; this is also synonym of
Alchornea .
Combretum
Combretum collinum with fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Clade :
Tracheophytes
Clade :
Angiosperms
Clade :
Eudicots
Clade :
Rosids
Order:
Myrtales
Family:
Combretaceae
Genus:
Combretum Loefl.
Species
About 3272 see text
Synonyms [ 1]
Aetia Adans.
Bucholzia Stadtm. ex Willemet
Bureava Baill.
Cacoucia Aubl.
Calopyxis Tul.
Campylochiton Welw. ex Hiern
Campylogyne Welw. ex Hemsl.
Chrysostachys Pohl
Codonocroton E.Mey. ex Engl. & Diels
Cristaria Sonn.
Embryogonia Blume
Forsgardia Vell.
Gonocarpus Ham.
Grislea L.
Hambergera Scop.
Kleinia Crantz
Meiostemon Exell & Stace
Mekistus Lour. ex Gomes Mach.
Physopodium Desv.
Poivrea Comm. ex DC.
Quisqualis L.
Schousboea Willd.
Seguiera Rchb. ex Oliv.
Sheadendron G.Bertol.
Sphalanthus Jack
Thiloa Eichler
Udani Adans.
Combretum , the bushwillows or combretums , make up the type genus of the family Combretaceae . The genus comprises about 272 species of trees and shrubs , most of which are native to tropical and southern Africa , about 5 to Madagascar , but there are others that are native to tropical Asia , New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago , Australia , and tropical America . Though somewhat reminiscent of willows (Salix ) in their habitus , they are not particularly close relatives of these.
Ecology
Combretum albidum in Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary , Andhra Pradesh , India
Bushwillow trees often are important plants in their habitat . Savannahs in Africa, in particular those growing on granitic soils, are often dominated by Combretum and its close relative Terminalia . For example, C. apiculatum is a notable tree in the Angolan mopane woodlands ecoregion in the Kunene River basin in southern Africa.[ 2]
Other species of this genus are a major component of Southwestern Amazonian moist forests . This genus contains several species that are pollinated by mammals other than bats , which is quite rare indeed.[ 3] But most species are more conventionally pollinated by insects or birds .[citation needed ]
Typhlodromus combretum , a mite of the family Phytoseiidae , was discovered on a bushwillow plant and is named after this genus. Other herbivores that eat Combretum foliage include the caterpillars of the Brown Awl (Badamia exclamationis ) which is found on C. albidum , C. latifolium and C. ovalifolium ; those of the Orange-tailed Awl (Bibasis sena ) are recorded from C. extensum and C. latifolium .[citation needed ]
Use by humans
Combretum aculeatum inflorescence
Combretum paniculatum
Combretum acutum – MHNT
Several species are used in African or Indian herbal medicine .[additional citation(s) needed ] Several species of this genus in Madagascar known collectively as voantamenaka or voatamenaka (from voa 'fruit' and menaka 'oil') are used in traditional Malagasy medicine as deworming remedies.[ 4] The class of chemical compounds known as combretastatins were first isolated from South African bushwillow (Combretum afrum ), from which they get their name. One synthetic derivative , fosbretabulin disodium (combretastatin A4 phosphate), underwent preliminary study for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer ,[ 5] but it was not effective enough to progress to more advanced trials. C. molle is also recorded to contain antioxidants such as punicalagin ,[citation needed ] which is also found in pomegranates (Punica granatum ), a somewhat related plant.
The botanist George Don studied this genus extensively. The Luvuvhu River in southern Africa was named after the river's bushwillows (C. erythrophyllum ), locally known as muvuvhu .
Species
As of April 2021, there are 272 accepted species of Combretum :[ 1]
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Combretum .