Pachyelasma | |
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A specimen of P. tessmannii from Yangambi, Democratic Republic of the Congo that is locally known as l'arbre de l'authenticité where tribal elders held court | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
Genus: | Pachyelasma Harms 1913 |
Species: | P. tessmannii
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Binomial name | |
Pachyelasma tessmannii (Harms) Harms 1913
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Synonyms[2] | |
Stachyothyrsus tessmannii Harms 1910[1] |
Pachyelasma is a genus of flowering plants in the legume subfamily Caesalpinioideae.[3] It contains only one species, Pachyelasmia tessmannii, which is native to central Africa.[2]
Pachyelasma tessmannii is an evergreen tree growing up to 60 m (200 ft) tall with a straight, cylindrical trunk up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in diameter. The flowers are red and the fruits are four-angled black pods that may be up to 37 cm (15 in) in length.[2][4]
Pachyelasma tessmannii can be found in the wet tropical regions of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria.[2]
The fruit is sometimes used by fishermen in remote areas of Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo for poison fishing.[5] Some cocoa farmers in Cameroon mix the bark with other plant materials and extracts to create a natural pesticide[6]