Cynometra alexandri

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Uganda ironwood
Cynometra cauliflora Blanco1.213-cropped.jpg
Illustration of a related species

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Cynometra
Species:
C. alexandri
Binomial name
Cynometra alexandri

Cynometra alexandri, the Uganda ironwood or muhimbi, is a species of legume that occurs in tropical lowland forests of central and east Africa.[2] They grow gregariously in drier forest types and as a constituent of swamp forests. They reach some 120 feet (37 m) to 150 feet (46 m) in height,[2] and larger trees often develop hollow boles and buttress roots.[2]

Taxonomy[]

According to  [species] (2019), Cynometra alexandri along with other mainland tropical African (but not all) species of the genus Cynometra should be excluded from the genus and will be transferred to a new as yet un-named genus in the future.[3]

Distribution and habitat[]

In Uganda it is widespread in the lowland forests (below 2,000 metres a.s.l) in the Western Rift Escarpment, where it shows a tendency toward monospecific dominance. After initial colonising, a mixed forest would contain Uganda ironwood, Alstonia congensis, , Khaya anthotheca and Celtis mildbraedii. When climax forest develops at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,200 m, Uganda ironwood becomes highly dominant.[4] Though a common species, its range has been reduced by wood cutting, large scale farming and subsistence cultivation.

Uses[]

The durable and dull, reddish brown heartwood is resistant to termite damage or abrasion, while the greyish sapwood is permeable to preservatives. It is employed in industrial or heavy-duty flooring, besides construction, marine work and for railway sleepers.[2]

Due to its physical properties, such as bending strength, inter-node distance, and leaf surface area, the Muhimbi is favoured by chimpanzees for their daily construction of sleeping platforms or "nests".[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Cynometra alexandri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T62021870A149007990. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T62021870A149007990.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cynometra alexandri". Wood Technical Fact Sheets. USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  3. ^ Radosavljevic, Aleksandar (2019). "The rise of Cynometra (Leguminosae) and the fall of Maniltoa: a generic re-circumscription and the addition of 4 new species". PhytoKeys (127): 1–37. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.127.29817. PMC 6661263. PMID 31379449.
  4. ^ "Uganda broadleaved forests". Closed forests. Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  5. ^ Samson DR, Hunt KD (2014). "Chimpanzees Preferentially Select Sleeping Platform Construction Tree Species with Biomechanical Properties that Yield Stable, Firm, but Compliant Nests". PLOS ONE. 9 (4): e95361. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...995361S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0095361. PMC 3989313. PMID 24740283.
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