Bersama abyssinica

Bersama abyssinica is a species of medium-sized evergreen tree in the family Francoaceae. 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: B. abyssinica Fresen. subsp. abyssinica Fresen. B. abyssinica Fresen. subsp. rosea (Hoyle) Mikkelsen 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 houses in West Africa.

Description

An evergreen tree. It grows 22 m high. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk. There are 5-10 pairs of leaflets and one at the end. The central stalk has wings. It can flower when only 3 m high. The flowers are in spike like groups. They are green to cream. The flowers have a scent. There are some subspecies. The fruit is a round velvety capsule. It splits into 4 valves. The seeds are bright red.

Edible Uses

The leaves are used as a flavouring in relishes and chutneys, and serve as a famine food.

Traditional Uses

Caution: The roots are poisonous and can kill. The fruit and leaves also contain poisonous compounds. The leaves are used as a flavouring in relishes and chutneys.

Medicinal Uses

Although all parts of the plant are poisonous, they are often used in traditional medicine throughout the plant's range. For internal use, therefore the dosage is critical. The stem bark contains 2 bufadienolides, which are cardiac glycosides with anti-tumour activity, as well as sterols and the xanthone mangiferin. Two hellebrigenin derivatives identified in an ethanol extract of the bark have shown inhibitory activity against human carcinoma of the nasopharynx in cell cultures. Cardiac glycosides and unsaturated sterols were identified in stem bark and root bark. Leaf extracts have cardiogenic, spasmolytic and hypoglycaemic activities. Crude bark extracts slow down the growth of Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexineri and Shigella dysenteria, whilst a root bark extract slows down that of Bacillus subtilis. A methanolic leaf extract had an inhibitory effect on HIV-1 replication. From the roots the bufadienolide abyssinin (an insect antifeedant against Helicoverpa zea), 3 other bufadienolides, bersenogenin, berscillogenin, and 3-epiberscillogenin, all with in-vitro cytotoxicity, and glucuronide triterpene saponins have been isolated. Methanol fractions of the leaves showed significant free radical scavenging capacity. Phytochemical investigation resulted in the isolation of five flavonol glycosides and the xanthone mangiferin. The last compound also has cytoprotective properties. Bark, leaf and root decoctions are widely taken as a purgative to treat a range of stomach disorders, such as abdominal pain, colic, diarrhoea, cholera, intestinal worms, amoebiasis and dysentery. Rabies, syphilis, gonorrhoea and malaria are also treated with these decoctions. The stem bark and leaves are used to treat diabetes mellitus. A root bark infusion is drunk, stem bark powder is sniffed, leaf sap is applied as eye drops or leaf powder is sniffed to treat migraine, headache and colds. A stem bark decoction is drunk to cure cancer and rheumatism. As an aphrodisiac, the powdered bark is added to beer or the leaves are chewed. A bark poultice is applied to the back in the treatment of lumbago. A leaf decoction is drunk in the treatment of lumbago. Leaf decoctions are also taken to treat feverish pains, loss of appetite, debility, jaundice and leprosy. To treat convulsions and snakebites, leaves are pounded and mixed with water, and the mixture is drunk and applied the body. Extracts of growing shoots are used for external treatment of burns, ulcers and to clean wounds. A root decoction is used to treat haemorrhoids and epilepsy. A root decoction is used as a wash to cure lumbago

Known Hazards

The roots are poisonous and can be fatal. The fruit and leaves also contain poisonous compounds.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows near the edges of forests. It can grow in arid places. In Nigeria it is recorded up to 1,500 m above sea level

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Trees respond well to coppicing and pollarding. A very variable species, with a wide range of synonyms.

Propagation

Seed - remains viable for around 2 months after being removed from the tree. Cuttings Root suckers.

Other Uses

Shoots and leaves are pounded and used to control stalk borers in maize. Seeds are used as a substitute for soap. The wood is white to brownish grey without differentiation between sapwood and heartwood; the texture is moderately coarse. The wood is hard and works easily. It is used for poles in house building, The wood is used for fuel and for making charcoal. Branches are used in living fences. The plant behaves as a pioneer species and is considered a weed in forest plantations. This makes it of possible use as a pioneer species when planting woodland.

Other Information

They are a famine food.

Notes

There are 7 Bersama species. Also put in the family Francoaceae.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Azamir, Boto, Chereke, Chiwindu, Duantu, Kofo, Mkanga, Muchiquiri, Munyahawa, Mushekera, Nakatimba, Ngoisiki, Nkanga, Samangya

References (10)

• Aparicio, H., et al, 2021, Ethnobotanical study of medicinal and edible plants used in Nhamacoa area, Manica province
  Mozambique. South African Journal of Botany 139 (2021) 318
  -328
• Asfaw, Z. and Tadesse, M., 2001, Prospects for Sustainable Use and Development of Wild Food Plants in Ethiopia. Economic Botany, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 47-62
• Chapman, J. D. & Chapman, H. M., 2001, The Forest Flora of Taraba and Andamawa States, Nigeria. WWF & University of Canterbury. p 188
• Flora Zambesiaca. http://apps.kew.org/efloras (var. englerana)
• http://www.fao.org/forestry/25323-096344a3de335832e8f363c3ac5184a66.pdf

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