Bersama abyssinica
Encyclopedia
Bersama abyssinica is a species of medium-sized evergreen tree
in the Melianthaceae
family. The leaves
are pinnately divided with a strongly winged rachis
(hence the common name Winged Bersama). The inflorescence
is a spike.
This species is distributed across sub-Saharan Africa
and includes two subspecies:
The subspecies rosea is endemic to Tanzania
, where it is considered vulnerable.
Bersama abyssinica produces a hard, heavy wood that is used in the construction of house
s in West Africa
.
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
in the Melianthaceae
Melianthaceae
The Melianthaceae is a family of flowering plants. The APG II system includes them within the rosid clade. All members of the Melianthaceae proper are trees or shrubs found in tropical and southern Africa...
family. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are pinnately divided with a strongly winged rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
(hence the common name Winged Bersama). The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a spike.
This species is distributed across sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
and includes two subspecies:
- B. abyssinica Fresen. subsp. abyssinica Fresen.
- B. abyssinica Fresen. subsp. rosea (Hoyle) Mikkelsen
The subspecies rosea is endemic to Tanzania
Tanzania
The 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...
, where it is considered vulnerable.
Bersama abyssinica produces a hard, heavy wood that is used in the construction of house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
s in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
.