Afrocarpus
Encyclopedia
Afrocarpus is a genus
of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae
. Afrocarpus was designated a genus in 1989, when several species formerly classified in Podocarpus
and Nageia
were reclassified. Two to six species
are recognized.
As the name intimates, Afrocarpus is native to Africa
. The species are distributed through the Afromontane
forests of eastern and southern Africa, descending to the Indian Ocean
coast in South Africa
. A. gaussenii is native of Madagascar
.
The podocarps are associated with the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana
, where they were characteristic of the cool, moist southern Gondwana flora. Gondwana broke up into the continents of South America
, Africa
, India
, Australia
and Antarctica between 160 and 30 million years ago. As Africa drifted north it became hotter and drier, and the podocarps generally retreated to the cool moist highlands of eastern and southern Africa.
In South Africa, this wood is mostly used to make exclusive furniture.
of a cultivated
individual of Afrocarpus falcatus in Madagascar. Its distinctive features might have resulted from the conditions of its cultivation. No species of Afrocarpus is known to be native to Madagascar.
In a recent treatment
of Afrocarpus, only two species were recognized. A. dawei, A. gracilior, and A. usambarensis were sunk into A. falcatus. The reason for this merger was that "variation across the group appears to be essentially continuous".
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. It contains 19 genera if Phyllocladus is included and if Manoao and Sundacarpus are recognized....
. Afrocarpus was designated a genus in 1989, when several species formerly classified in Podocarpus
Podocarpus
Podocarpus is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. The 105 species of Podocarpus are evergreen shrubs or trees from 1-25 m in height...
and Nageia
Nageia
Nageia is a genus of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. Nageia includes evergreen shrubs and trees, from one to 54 meters in height. A 2009 treatment of the genus recognized five species. Some authors consider Nageia formosensis to be a separate species from Nageia nagi,...
were reclassified. Two to six species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are recognized.
As the name intimates, Afrocarpus is native to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The species are distributed through the Afromontane
Afromontane
Afromontane is a term used to describe the Afrotropic subregion and its plant and animal species common to the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula...
forests of eastern and southern Africa, descending to the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
coast in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. A. gaussenii is native of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
The podocarps are associated with the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
, where they were characteristic of the cool, moist southern Gondwana flora. Gondwana broke up into the continents of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Antarctica between 160 and 30 million years ago. As Africa drifted north it became hotter and drier, and the podocarps generally retreated to the cool moist highlands of eastern and southern Africa.
In South Africa, this wood is mostly used to make exclusive furniture.
Taxonomy
Afrocarpus gaussenii was based on a single specimenSpecimen
A specimen is a portion/quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study.BiologyA laboratory specimen is an individual animal, part of an animal, a plant, part of a plant, or a microorganism, used as a representative to study the properties of the whole population of that species or...
of a cultivated
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
individual of Afrocarpus falcatus in Madagascar. Its distinctive features might have resulted from the conditions of its cultivation. No species of Afrocarpus is known to be native to Madagascar.
In a recent treatment
Treatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject.-Noteworthy treatises:...
of Afrocarpus, only two species were recognized. A. dawei, A. gracilior, and A. usambarensis were sunk into A. falcatus. The reason for this merger was that "variation across the group appears to be essentially continuous".
Species
- Afrocarpus daweiAfrocarpus daweiAfrocarpus dawei is an evergreen coniferous tree native to the Afromontane forests of the East African highlands, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo....
is native to the highlands of east Africa, including KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, and CongoDemocratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. - Afrocarpus falcatusAfrocarpus falcatusAfrocarpus falcatus, commonly known as the Sickle-leaved Yellowwood and False Yellowwood Afrocarpus falcatus, commonly known as the Sickle-leaved Yellowwood and False Yellowwood Afrocarpus falcatus, commonly known as the Sickle-leaved Yellowwood and False Yellowwood (formerly also Outeniqua...
, commonly known as the Outeniqua yellowwood, is a tall tree, generally 10-25 m high, but growing up to 60 m. It is native to montane forests of South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, from SwellendamSwellendamSwellendam is the third oldest town in the Republic of South Africa, a town with 28,072 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 National monuments most of them buildings of Cape Dutch architecture....
District of Western Cape Province to Limpopo Province, and into southern MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. - Afrocarpus gausseniiAfrocarpus gausseniiAfrocarpus gaussenii is a species of conifer in the Podocarpaceae family.It is found only in Madagascar. It may be just a cultivar or variety of Afrocarpus falcatus; see Afrocarpus for more information.-Source:...
, native to the eastern plateau of MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. - Afrocarpus graciliorAfrocarpus graciliorAfrocarpus falcatus is an evergreen coniferous tree native to the Afromontane forests of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, growing at 1,800-2,400 m altitude....
, native to EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Used in gardens as a tree, hedge, screen, or espalier; generally sold as Podocarpus gracilior. - Afrocarpus manniiAfrocarpus manniiAfrocarpus mannii is an evergreen coniferous tree native to the Afromontane forests of São Tomé Island in the Gulf of Guinea, growing at altitudes of 1,300 m up to the summit at 2,024 m. It was formerly classified as Podocarpus mannii....
, native to São Tomé IslandSão Tomé IslandSão Tomé Island, at , is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe and is home in 2009 to about 157,000 or 96% of the nation's population. This island and smaller nearby islets make up São Tomé Province, which is divided into six districts. The main island is located 2 km north of the...
in the Gulf of GuineaGulf of GuineaThe Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
. - Afrocarpus usambarensisAfrocarpus usambarensisAfrocarpus usambarensis is a species of conifer in the Podocarpaceae family.It is found only in Tanzania.-Source:* Conifer Specialist Group 1998. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
, native to BurundiBurundiBurundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, CongoDemocratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, and LushotoLushotoLushoto is one of the eight districts of Tanga Region in Tanzania. It is bordered to the northeast by Kenya, to the east by the Muheza District, to the northwest by the Kilimanjaro Region and to the south by the Korogwe District.During the German colonial period from the 1890s to 1918 the area was...
and MbuluMbuluMbulu is one of the 5 districts of the Manyara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by the Arusha Region and Lake Eyasi, to the East by the Babati Region, to the South by the Hanang District and to the West by the Singida Region....
districts of TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
.