Anthonotha fragrans

Anthonotha fragrans
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Anthonotha
Species:	A. fragrans
Binomial name
Anthonotha fragrans (Baker f.) Exell & Hillc.

Anthonotha fragrans is a medium to large sized tree commonly found in the rainforest environments of West and Central Africa; it belongs to the Fabaceae family. Its sapwood exudes a white to creamy exudate.

Description

The species can reach 45 meters tall and up to 1.3 meters in diameter.[1] Leaves are paripinnately compound, with 2-5 pairs of leaflets per pinnae,[2] stipules detaches at an early stage, petiole ranges between 0.5 and 1.5 cm long but can reach 4 cm in length;[1] leaf-blade is elliptic to oblong in outline, its cross-section is terete shaped, the thick petiolule is 3–7 mm long, adaxial surface is glabrous while the lower surface is covered with appressed, dense, brown hairs.[1] The hairy inflorescence is raceme type, axillary or terminal in the leaf axis, flowers are fragrant, bracts are ovate in outline and 1–2 mm long, pedicel is 2–5 mm long.[1]

Distribution

The species occurs in West and Central Africa from Guinea eastwards to the Congo basin. It is found on sandy or sandy loam soil in deciduous or semi-deciduous forests of the region.

Ecology

Anthonotha fragrans is a host species to Clavulinaceae, Thelephoraceae and Boletaceae families of fungi in an ectomycorrhizal relationship.[3]

References

1. Breteler, Frans J. (2010-03-29). "Revision of the African genus Anthonotha (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae)". Plant Ecology and Evolution. 143 (1): 70–99. doi:10.5091/plecevo.2010.369.
2. Voorhoeve, A. G. (1979). Liberian high forest trees : a systematic botanical study of the 75 most important or frequent high forest trees, with reference to numerous related species (2nd impr ed.). Wageningen: Pudoc. p. 143. ISBN 90-220-0701-4. OCLC 63303450.
3. Diédhiou, Abdala Gamby; Selosse, Marc-André; Galiana, Antoine; Diabaté, Moussa; Dreyfus, Bernard; Bâ, Amadou Moustapha; de Faria, Sergio Miana; Béna, Gilles (2010). "Multi-host ectomycorrhizal fungi are predominant in a Guinean tropical rainforest and shared between canopy trees and seedlings". Environmental Microbiology. 12 (8): 2219–2232. Bibcode:2010EnvMi..12.2219D. doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2010.02183.x. PMID 21966915.