Chaetachme
| Chaetachme | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Ulmaceae |
| Genus: | Chaetachme |
| Species: | C. aristata |
| Binomial name | |
| Chaetachme aristata Planch., 1848 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Celtis appendiculata E.Mey. ex Planch. | |
Chaetachme is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the elm family containing the single species Chaetachme aristata. Its English common name is thorny elm,[2] and it is known as muyuyu in Kikuyu.[3] It is native to eastern and western Africa, including Madagascar.[4]
This is a shrub or small tree growing up to 10 meters tall. It has drooping, angular branches covered with spines up to 3.5 centimeters in length. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 11 centimeters long by 5 centimeters wide, pointed at the tip and smooth or serrated on the edges. The shrub is dioecious and sexually dimorphic, with male and female flower types borne on separate individuals.[4][5]
This shrub is host to the mirid bug Volumnus chaetacme.[6]
The spiny branches of the shrub are used as fences in African villages.[3][7]
References
- ↑ "Chaetachme aristata Planch.". The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ↑ Trees & Shrubs of East Africa. Safari Patrol
- 1 2 FAO Glossary
- 1 2 JSTOR Plant Science
- ↑ Arusha Region. The management and ecology of Tanzanian forests
- ↑ Linnavuori, R. (1996). Taxonomic studies of the Miridae (Heteroptera) of Africa and the Middle East. Acta Universitatis Carolinae Biologica 40 321-50.
- ↑ Bussmann, R. W., et al. (2006). Plant use of the Maasai of Sekenani Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2 22.