Combretum

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"Schousboea" redirects here; this is also synonym of Alchornea.

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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.

Around 17 species in the genus Quisqualis are very similar to Combretum and are now classified as species of the genus.[2]

Though somewhat reminiscent of willows (Salix) in their habitus, they are not particularly close relatives of these.

Ecology

File:Combretum albidum (Piluki) in Kinnarsani WS, AP W2 IMG 5783.jpg
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.[3]

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.[4] 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

File:Combretum aculeatum MS 10043.jpg
Combretum aculeatum inflorescence
File:Combretum sericeum MS 10060.jpg
Combretum paniculatum
File:Combretum acutum MHNT.BOT.2009.16.15.jpg
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.[5] 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,[6] 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]

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References

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  1. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Combretum Loefl". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ Jordaan, M.; Van Wyk, A. E.; Maurin, O. (2011). "Generic status of Quisqualis (Combretaceae), with notes on the taxonomy and distribution of Q. parviflora". Bothalia, 41(1), 161–169.
  3. ^ Hogan, C. Michael. (2012). "Kunene River". Topic ed. P. Saundry. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Carthew, S (1997). "Non-flying mammals as pollinators". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 12 (3): 104–108. Bibcode:1997TEcoE..12..104C. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(96)10067-7. ISSN 0169-5347. PMID 21237993.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Boiteau, Pierre (1999). "Calopyxis". Dictionnaire des noms malgaches de végétaux (in français). Vol. I. Editions Alzieu. p. 196.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Savvides, Panayiotis (10 June 2010). "Combretastatin Phosphate in Treating Patients with Advanced Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer". clinicaltrials.gov.

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