Strychnos phaeotricha
Gilg
Loganiaceae
Strychnos thyrsiflora Gilg
Common Name:
Flowering stem (the flowers are rather small towards the tip of the stem)
Photograph by: Ehoarn Bidault
General Information
Strychnos phaeotricha is a climbing shrub producing stems that can be up to 50 metres long and 2 - 7cm in diameter. The plant can grow into the forest canopy, attaching itself by means of tendrils[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
,
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use
Known Hazards
Various parts of Strychnos plants, especially the seeds and bark, contain toxic alkaloids such as strychnine and brucine. The fleshy pulp of the ripe fruits, however, is often edible[
500- Title
- Flora of Somalia
- Publication
-
- Author
- Thulin M. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Kew Publishing, London.
- Year
- 1993
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Detailed information on the plants of the region, often adding notes on the plants uses.
].
Botanical References
736- Title
- Flora of West Tropical Africa
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://plants.jstor.org/search?st=2025
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An online flora, not yet complet (2012). Very comprehensive as regards to species covered, but the information on each species is often rather terse.
Range
West tropical Africa - Ghana to DR Congo.
Habitat
Dense rainforest, including the more open secondary formations; gallery forest; at elevations from sea-level up to 700 metres[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Climber |
| Height | 30.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
The seeds are put into a calabash containing embers and the smoke is inhaled to treat tuberculosis in children[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Preliminary chemical analysis shows that the plant has a low alkaloid content. The tertiary indole alkaloids of the bark have weak muscle-relaxant and convulsant activities[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
