Warburgia ugandensis
| Warburgia ugandensis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Canellales |
| Family: | Canellaceae |
| Genus: | Warburgia |
| Species: | W. ugandensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Warburgia ugandensis Sprague | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Warburgia breyeri Pott | |
Warburgia ugandensis, also known as Uganda greenheart, is a species of evergreen tree native to Africa. The wood is resistant to insect attack[1] and very strong. It was commonly used for the yoke pole of ox-wagons, the Disselboom. Early Indian immigrants to Kenya, working on the construction of the railway, used the leaves to flavor their curries before the chilli plant was commonly introduced. The flavor is fiercely hot and subtly different from chillies.
Extracts of W. ugandensis have been reported to show some antimalarial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties in vitro or in animal models.[1][2]
Unsustainable overharvesting of the bark reduced the population of the longifolia subspecies to the Rondo Forest Reserve in Tanzania, which prompted the IUCN to list it as vulnerable in its Red List of Threatened Species.[3]
References
- 1 2 Olila D; Olwa-Odyek, Opuda-Asibo J (December 2001). "Antibacterial and antifungal activities of extracts of Zanthoxylum chalybeum and Warburgia ugandensis, Ugandan medicinal plants". Afr Health Sci 1 (2): 66–72. PMC 2141554. PMID 12789119.
- ↑ Were, PS; Kinyanjui, P; Gicheru, MM; Mwangi, E; Ozwara, HS (2010). "Prophylactic and curative activities of extracts from Warburgia ugandensis Sprague (Canellaceae) and Zanthoxylum usambarense (Engl.) Kokwaro (Rutaceae) against Plasmodium knowlesi and Plasmodium berghei". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 130 (1): 158–62. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.04.034. PMID 20435133.
- ↑ Lovett, J; G.P Clarke (1998). "Warburgia ugandensis ssp. longifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2012-08-06.